“For the stone which has been thrown up br it is no evil to come down, nor indeed any good br to have been carried up.” br —Marcus Aurelius br br Only this stone is certain, br if only for a moment. br I touch it and look down br at the dark sea, a curtain br br behind which life here started, br reminded that all things br are in a state of flux, br the living and departed. br br And yet the bell still rings br over the sun-lit hill. br A padre gives a sermon br about eternal things. br br “The Father sacrifices br his one and only Son.” br The fruit of an amoeba, br morphed into man, devises br br an escape, the burden br too difficult to bear? br If only for a moment br only this stone is certain.