If Stones Could Sing

If stones could sing what would they say
Of all the things they’ve seen along the way
The stories they could tell,
A hundred million years from shell to shelter

If rocks could write what would they record?
Seeing mountains rise and valleys scored
The stories they could tell,
Two hundred million years from shell to shelter

From deep below the seas
To high up on the hills
The stories of the world are held
Within the path they trace from shell to shelter

If cliffs could cry why would they weep?
Watching oceans dry and deserts creep
The stories they could tell
Three hundred million years from shell to shelter

If hills could hear what would they know
Of changing atmospheres, and glacial flow?
The stories they could tell
Four hundred million years from shell to shelter

From deep below the seas
To high up on the hills
The stories of the world are held
Within the path they trace from shell to shelter

If stones could sing what would they say?
And would we listen anyway
To the stories that they tell
Of all they’ve seen in half a billion years of change
from shell to shelter

(c) Rich Clarkson 2022