In Praise of Granite

The silence stretches out like granite, between us And the narrow contours of existence. How the shadows ride by: Glimmers of granite reflecting The music of harsh winds And dark pasts forever ahead. We are beings of this rock, Fingers of stone entwined, We break through once, Under the light, to become. As we climb, laughter turns to sweat, And, starlit in the evening air, You will hear them sing— All around you, a sacred circuit, The earth, the sky, the melody.

• Gary Snyder