An old man close to death
holds in his hand, three stones.
The first is a simple river stone,
smooth and gray,
its edges softened by the rolling waters.
The second of quartz and agate
is coarse in texture.
The third stone, jarred loose
from a rugged cliff is jagged and sharp,
yet shiny and translucent in reflected light…
A young boy running on the beach
stops before the old man
and the old man speaks…
“My young friend, you have a lot of life to live.
Do you know what that means?”
“I think so.” The boy replies.
“It means you must define the stone.”
The old man confirms.
He then takes the smooth river stone
and places it in the young boy’s hand.
Rolling the first stone in his palm,
the boy observes…
“Each of these stones are unique
and molded by time…
At first, this stone was jagged,
with its edges sharp.”
The old man explained, pointing to the small
stone in the boy’s hand.
“A stone’s texture can be softened to smooth
by the taming rush of these waters.
It takes time for stones to soften their edges,
but even the largest, most rugged
of stones can be polished soft.”
The boy held out his hand and the old man
places the second stone in the boy’s palm.
“I see.” The boy said.
“This second stone comes from a jagged cliff by the sea,
but it has been abused by the crashing of waves.
Over time, this stone has become rough and jagged,
but my son, do not be the fool.”
The old man cracks open the jagged rock
against the smooth texture of the first stone.
When the stone is cracked open
a vibrant crystal center is revealed.
“The most precious things
are found in the most unexpected of places.”
The old man places aside the first two stones
and picks up the third stone and continues.
“This stone is beautiful and captivating,
a little rough on the edges here and there,
but when you take a closer look…
Hold this stone up to the light, my son.”
The boy raises the third stone to the sun
and it shines, casting a prism onto the sand
below the boy’s tan little feet.
“Do you see?”
The old man asked, smiling at the young boy.
“Yes, I see.
There is something amazing within all things.
This is a brilliant stone despite its jagged edges.”
The boy replied with enlightened eyes.
“Indeed. You must remember,
sometimes beauty is not so obvious.
Do you see how this stone illuminates
the world around it?”
The boy then gazed down at the stone in his palm.
When the boy looked up again, the old man was gone
and all that was left were stones on the beach…
Apryl Skies © 2009-2012
~From A Song Beneath Silence
