distant fading dulled blue mountains mist cerulean eyes peek through rolling gray smatterings rain’s aloneness petering her drops; quiet dribbles splash outwardly radiant circular wakes renew the fresh an already illogical current slowly skips over treasures beneath chaotic babble chants to movements a river’s concertos streaming in the key of cold evergreenest grasses sprouting in spurts and clumps bright colored wildflowers intermittently decorate her ostentatious banks as he wades in toward the challenge; a thrown gauntlet of smooth rock a natural outcropping base as platform he stacks one rock atop another, atop another, atop another in improbable, impossible, asymmetrical design ordered without regard to size, weight, shape or color randomly selecting whatever rocks the river offers discerning surfaces support point and counterpoint complements exploiting gravity with unconscious physics and body language a wiggle this way, a lean that way, trying to find the balance within “becoming the balance”; feeling it in your core strong hands breathe stillness his creation held with steady gaze and o’ so deep concentration relaxing fingers first; then pulling his arms away to reveal a consummation of peace a manmade natural temple; testament to the art of patience a magnificent mystery a satisfying moment frozen in time precariously awaiting eventual collapse