An ancient boulder basks in the radiating sun
Soaks in and stores the transferred heat
Solid and stoic and stable ‒ its true depth hidden beneath

Yet, in the distant past, this granite mass ‒
A mere toy tumbling, trapped in an indifferent glacier’s grasp
Swept up, then released in ice age retreat
Discarded to rest in this gouged lonely hollow

by random happenchance
This stone far from home
creates here in this place
a meditative, sheltering space
A welcoming, unexpected embrace
for a stumbling, pummeled human
Granting dispassionate, compassionate
sanctum and communion

Originally written: 2024