Petrified Motion

Grit scrapes beneath a fingernail as layers of silt peel back to reveal a fossilized gear embedded in porous limestone. The interlocking teeth move with a heavy, calcified friction, suggesting an engine whose purpose was long ago swallowed by sediment. As light catches the drifting motes, these concentric grooves imply that every motion is merely a repetition of an older, heavier rhythm. To act is to navigate the tension between original intent and current momentum, steering through tracks already etched into the stone.