was) an ancient beach
and cave-pocked cliffs and
a human footprint
(then
ages of silting cover
a footprint
crouched. intent
and cave-pocked cliffs and
frail seams of silt save
a footprint
(is
crouched, brushing layers of silt
uncovers -- a spark
across two instants --
a footprint
(In Le Rozel, France, researchers
unearthed 257 Neanderthal footprints
dated to about 80,000 years ago.)