The Weight of Stone

We build to outlast the winter. We stack stone upon stone, hoping the weight of our intent will anchor us to the earth long after the breath leaves our lungs. There is a strange arrogance in this. We believe that if we carve our longing into marble, it will remain, even when the hands that shaped it have turned to dust. But stone is patient. It does not care for our names or the stories we tell ourselves about permanence. It only knows the slow shift of shadow across its surface, the way the light retreats, and the silence that follows. We look at these monuments and see ourselves, yet the monument sees only the passing of time. It stands, indifferent, while we hurry toward the dark. What remains when the shadow finally swallows the shape?

Subhashish Nag Choudhury has taken this image titled Most Photogenic. It reminds me that even the most familiar stone can hold a secret if we stop long enough to watch the light leave it. Do you see what stays behind?