all those years ago
in the time of dangers
they were placed in secret
as a silent beacon
in that deepest night
waiting for the day
when the shadowed world
would waken from the nightmare
shed its narrow petty ways
and embrace the way of light
stacked by those of vision
blessed in hope and courage
one upon the other
like knowledge upon learning
these standing stones of peace
hear them call across the ages
and beckon us to rise
to step into the future
to envision a new dream
to let fear and hatred cease
~ ~ ~
rob kistner © 2010
(revision © 1/22/19)
stacked stones in Sedona red-rock desert
These sculptures are called cairns. A cairn is a human-made balanced stack of stones. The word cairn comes from the Scottish Gaelic: càrn. Cairns have been, and still are used for a broad variety of purposes, from prehistoric times to the present. They are stacked as landmarks, direction finders, memorials, and also spiritual reasons, among other purposes.