It was bound to happen
Geologists predicted it
A symbol of New Hampshire,
Franconia Notch,
The man in the mountain,
The citizens refused to believe
Confident always to see his face
Jutting from the rock
Like a patriarch presiding over the clan
God watching from the heavens
From a clouded summit
But it happened
The erosion that comes naturally
From wind and water, the passage of time,
The face crumbled
The old man departed
You were visitors there once on vacation,
With your camera trying to capture
The natural beauty of the landscape
A sudden rain shower
Fog obscured the cliff face
Yet, your hope was rewarded
The mist dispersed
In the photograph, his cleft chin, prominent,
The sloping nose, deeply etched cheekbones
Head emerging from the clouds
Suspended from the sky
Above the arc of the rainbow
Calibrating just the right aperture
Increasing the film speed to
Reconcile muted illumination
We will be long forgotten from the Earth
As the millenniums progress
Perchance – a new face will emerge
Hewn by water and wind from the rock
A woman this time
With a softer, fleshy face, apple-cheeked,
Yet, just as formidable a presence