The Faces In The Rocks Poem by Alexander Duncan

The faces in the rocks
Gaze at me
Intent.
They ask
Who are you?
Where have you come from?
We've been waiting here
Forever
At last you come
To our home.
Their rough faces
Twisted in the rocks
Each one individual
Each one a mystery
Each one holy
I wish I could know them
But they are mute
Only their faces speak truth
Archaic faces
Twisted by time
Lost in the creepers and the vines
By the river that murmurs
Beneath the city.
I wonder, who else has come here
To sit in silent witness
Beneath the flashing leaves
And the hum of the cicadas
In the ravine.
I invite others to see, but no one comes.
The city is too close, its busy-ness
Infinitely distracting.
But I return
Again and again
Because I realize that only I will come
To witness their testimony
It is a mission I have
And if I die
In this place
I wish
That I too may join their company
The stone faces that do not speak.
A lone bird sings its song