Sonnet of Erosion

The hike begins in concreted, Cretaceous shale 

Before rising toward smoky hills of chalk 

Where awaits valleys of bentonite swales 

That hail as heralds, the hogbacked rocks. 

I journey up Jurassic heaths 

Twisting to Triassic Seas 

And gypsum seams beneath  

Unconformities. 

At the summit, 

Time’s shadow 

Stretches  

Past. 

It travels far beyond the eroding stone, 

To my city and my home.