They Are More Than Just Rocks

Once there was a woman Who hap to pass this way, She examined all the rocks she could To pass the time of day. With each stone she did pick up, She felt the weight of time, T'was just as if the hand of God, Told her to look inside. It all began in Kansas, With a rock she had found, It held a crinoid fossil, For centuries safe and sound. It told of seas, marsh and grass, Where the dinosaur did pass, When at last it's life was through It turned to rock for her to view. She touched a post of sandstone, Eyes closed she could see, It told of a farm family, From far across the sea. When she reached Nebraska, She found a rust red stone, T'was the blood of the might bison, Slaughtered for hide and bone. Bill Cody fired the fatal shot, That caused the shaggy beast to drop, When all was said and done, He'd left his blood there in the sun. She walked beside the river Platt, The wagon ruts were deep, There she found some rocks burned black, By fires they did keep. She walked along the dimming trail, And found there in the sand, A rock that showed the stress marks, Where wagons crossed this land. The crown of Chimney Rock, Draw nearer with each day, Helped by this ancient guidepost, The pioneer found his way. She listened to the whispers, From Wyoming's Casper Peak. It told about a cozy cave, Where the dangerous grizzly sleeps. And there in a lively stream, A shiney stone did wink, She waded in and picked it up, It's sharp edge cut her deep. It wasn't just another rock, But an Indian arrowhead, It told his desperate search for food, To keep his family fed. The rock that lay upon the bank Was scarred by years of use, Here the mountain man tied his trap So the beaver he'd not lose. She picked up a large piece of rock, And oh, it was so cold, It was once a mighty palm tree From long, long ago. The lava flows of Idaho, Did yield some garden stones, Each was placed with loving care, Where Pa Pa's zinnia's grow. Behind a school in Oregon, She hunted fossil leaves, She carefully pried the rocks apart Revealing hidden dreams. She placed each rock that she had found Beside the driveway safe and sound, And like a child when day was through, She dreamed about her treasurers too. She can't wait until tomorrow, For early mornings glow, She'll be off to Oklahoma, Where the rose rocks grow.