epic paintings hide in sacred spaces 
each one holds the shadow of a story 
washed away by time into mere traces
acutely dimmed from their former glory 

what words would have slid along the stone walls
as paint traced out images onto stone
of dreams or memories that must be scrawled 
to try to make sense of the world unknown

becoming meaning as they become myth
changing with each new teller of the tales
and new paintings cover those underneath
until none can still recall what was veiled 

we can only see the art upon rock
yet if there was a way for it to talk

[Mark A. Fisher is a writer, poet, and playwright living in Tehachapi, CA.  His poetry has appeared in: Reliquiae, Silver Blade,  Eccentric Orbits,  and many other places. His first chapbook, drifter, is available from Amazon. His poem “there are fossils” (originally published in Silver Blade) came in second in the 2020 Dwarf Stars Speculative Poetry Competition. His plays have appeared on California stages in Pine Mountain Club, Tehachapi, Bakersfield, and Hayward. He has also won cooking ribbons at the Kern County Fair. ]