Rests in his bed of grasses and rock
In the gum tree’s shadow
A marble that never rolled an inch
Nor was shot from a giant’s thumb
Nor tossed by demonic whim
Sitting here in the sun
Sturdy as the crystalline block
He once was on this very spot
Time and wind and water
Chipped his edges
Rounded his corners
Smoothed him, little by little
For eons
Until he was
A block no more
Just a red granite marble
Sitting here, in the sun
With his new friend, the white gum
Seeming like the devil’s toy
To passers-by
Whose lives pass by
Too quickly to be smoothed
Devil’s Marbles
Northern Territory, Australia
Taken during travels, 1994
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The Devil’s Marbles rock formation is found in Australia’s Northern Territory, between Katherine and Coober Pedy. They were formed over millions of years from a bed of granite which crystallized as it formed into huge blocks. These blocks were rounded over the course of millions of years by spheroidal weathering.
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