Stratigraphy

gods 
    the
of      
valley
    monumental
a 
sustaining
  I.V.
    an
from   
drips  
    like
justified
    center
solo   
    stacked
words in 
   solace seeks one
loss relentless
  and age with then
scree scree scree scree scree scree
    scree  pools abundant floods deluge a  scree
scree scree  gush and rain words youth in  scree scree

John K. Kruschke

First published in SAGE Magazine, 17 February 2025

Notes. Regarding form: The poem is intended to be read first as in standard English, left to right, top to bottom, then to be read again as a geologist would read strata, from bottom to top, and right to left. Feel your eyes as you read upward. The poem is formatted to resemble a rock formation in Monument Valley and The Valley of the Gods. Regarding content: Among others, there are two themes about words: First, the role of words evolves with age, from flowing fountains of youth to precious drips in old age. Second, a poem is just a pile of words to be deciphered, but is also a spiritual legacy from the past.

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