Waves in stone

Lucas George Wendt

The Earth undulates,
not in water — but in stone.
A frozen tide, rising in silence,
etched across the valleys.

Mountains swell like ancient waves,
caught mid-crest by geologic time,
each peak a pulse,
each ridge a rhythm
from the tectonic deep.

Their curves,
arc across the land —
folded strata of forgotten seas,
where basalt surged and granite cooled
in tempests of fire, not foam.

Still they seem to move,
these solid waves,
rolling in the mind’s horizon.
Eyes surf their silhouettes,
reading each slope
as the echo of Earth’s own oscillation.

Between crest and trough,
forests cling like mist,
and rivers thread their way
as liquid memory —
fluid paths drawn
through immobile undulation.

These hills compose the tempo
of the Taquari’s River breath.
They break the wind,
frame the light,
anchor perceptions.

Their silence is not stillness,
but duration —
a wave that takes eons to crest.

When the lens are fixed,
it catches the freeze of form,
and the vibration of becoming:
stone in flux,
land in reverberation.

Topography is waves,
captured mid-motion.
And dwell in the troughs
between the vibration of the Earth.

The Science

The Taquari Valley is a region of Brazil located in the center of the state of Rio Grande do Sul (the southernmost state in Brazil), where the author of the poem lives. The poem is inspired by the geology and geography of the region, in particular by a photograph he took that inspired him to reflect on the shape of the mountains as waves. Geologically, the region presents a relief characterized by plains and gentle hills, with altitudes ranging from 6 meters in the lowest area to over 800 meters in the highest points. The Taquari Valley is marked by basaltic rocks of the Serra Geral Formation and river terraces associated with the Taquari River basin. The geological formation of the valley is linked to a volcanic event that occurred with the separation of South America and Africa, millions of years ago.

The Poet

Lucas George Wendt holds a Master's degree in Information Science from the Postgraduate Program in Information Science - PPGCIN at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul - UFRGS (2024). He is currently studying for a Master's degree in Museology and Heritage from the Postgraduate Program in Museology and Heritage - PPGMusPa at UFRGS. He is fascinated by nature, especially geology, and uses photography to portray and reflect on the environments in which he lives and circulates.

Next poem: Weathering Water-Wave Theory by Kathryn MacDonald