Stones of rough granite dug from the earth
Stones worn smooth by the ocean waves.
Stones slippery to the touch in a bubbling riverbed
Stones clinking against the farmer’s spade
Stones in the rockpiles and walls about town

Stones, lying here, there and everywhere
Stones, enough for many lifetimes uncountable
Stones, a mineral micronutrient a million years in the making
Stones in monuments. Stones in walls. Stones in cairns. Stones in song.
Stones with ancient carved stories to tell …

Stones the first tool of man,
and alas, probably the last.