Slate fingers stretch
from the wooded hillside.
Misshapen, worn, eroded
by time and runoff; cracked
by gravity and spillage.  

Splintered shale records
the geologic timeline
of a beggar’s feast of elements,
water fire air and wood
for oblivion’s hunger.  

In hollowed coves
beneath the cupped hands—
mossy, damp, & cool,
Pill bugs welcome the showers.