Inside a Stone

by Loren Brown

I sit. Quietly waiting. Stillness
Surrounds me - the noise of
Nothing. I sit...inside a stone.

There is no movement. I crouch
in the same position for eons
without aching. I cannot move,
yet I have no need to. I am
shrouded in numerous layers of
fossilized quilts.

There is no light. There is no
Darkness. I am encased with a
tangible gray covering my eyes,
my ears, my nostrils, and my
mouth. The sun-baked rock tastes
like warm pennies and smells
like a sandbox.

All I feel is the pulse of the earth.
A slow, ancient beating since the
dawn
Of time...throbbing for eternity.

No one will find me here. I can
Sit here and feel centuries pass.
The best hiding place, inside a
stone.

I sit. Shoulders hunched over.