Rock of Ages

This stone,
A survivor of centuries
Of wind, storm, and ocean floor
Resists my deliberate thrusts
To reform it.
Yet I must
Chip, chip, chip,
Piece by piece,
Layer by layer,
Until the vision
Imposed unfolds.

Don’t stop 
Though arms grow weary.
Master the tools 
Master the art
Of persistence.

Understand one thing
Through and through,
And understand everything
Was the promise,
Thus the hope.

The work is 
The practice of being 
Totally present, 
Moment to moment
Where nothing interrupts 
What brought you here.

The work will
Light the way to
Living as an art form,
And dying with the grace
Of an often rehearsed 
Letting go 
Prepared for the final curtain.

Past, present, and future
Are One
When distraction
Steps aside.
The chisel is released
To direct its own way 
With the stone its working  partner
Moment to moment,
Hour to hour.
Practice, practice, practice.