Circle Of Stones

            On the mountain, high above the rooftops of the trees and beyond even the Buddhas meditating, lies a circle of stones. They are the size of cantaloupes and weathered by the rain and growth of lichens. It is hidden in the open, a small grassed area on the spine of a ridge where condors nest. Below are trails, crisscrossing the terrain with wondering travelers on their backs. The mountain’s roots extend from the circle of stones down past the crust of the lowlands and into the hot belly of the earth. Sun, rain, wind, lightning revolve in the atmosphere above.