Granite: Ekphrastic poem

An ekphrastic poem in collaboration with two sculptures by Andreas von Huene at the Centre Street Art Gallery, Bath, Maine


Granite

I
Echo
(Jay white granite)

Before language, there was granite.
In granite, the echo of all things -
rock wraps around, re-sounds,
echo of sunlight
echo of starlight
echoes of all
the rock has heard -
a larger sound than we can know,
found below -
granite wraps around me I
rest in the rock my
grandfather worked in the quarries -
Mosquito Mountain, Mount Waldo -
granite time is slow, slow time -
in granite time, my grandfather
is just leaving.
I can almost hear his voice
echoing.

II
Wave
(Freeport stone)

Granite was once liquid, and moving.
You can see the flowlines, currents
in the moving rock.
wave and flow, the
grain within,
interstitial.
Everything rises from rock,
granite in waves, flowing -
I find myself touching
granite, asking who are you,
where are you from -
Frankfort, Prospect,
Stonington, Vinalhaven,
Freeport, Jay -
I'm saying hello to
whole mountains moving -
I'm waving back
into the rock.

Poem by Gary Lawless
Sculpture by Andreas von Huene