Stone Bloom

A bird skull lay cradled in sediment under the table leg, its form mirroring floral carvings on the stone above—bone echoing ceramic’s subtle curves. The cool surface held an unexpected warmth, hinting at sun-warmed feathers and long-ago flight. Patterns emerged as layers were revealed, a sense of inevitable repetition despite the change from flesh to dust, compression shaping both then and now. With each careful brushstroke, context dissolved; uncovering felt less like finding history and more like stirring a quiet echo within altered states of being.