Petrosomatoglyphs (Images of Body Parts Found in Rock)
Is there any part of the devil’s body
that has not been used to name
some feature of the American topography…
--from “Colorado” by Billy Collins
The Devil’s Elbow seems to be most common,
followed closely by his backbone, tail and foot.
It seems to me I remember seeing the Devil’s
Big Toe on a trip through Arizona, although
I may be mistaking it with his buck tooth.
There are the Devil's Talons in St. Pancras chapel
at St. Augustine's Abbey, Canterbury, although
a chapel isn’t really a part of the topography
so, scratch that. The Devil’s Path, an arduous
east-to-west passage along the spine of the Catskills,
while undoubtedly apt, doesn’t really
name a body part, nor does
the Devil’s Den which, while a great name
for a state park, is likely too foul-smelling
and shabby to be of use here.
No, I think it may be best to just tell you about
the two giant red boulders that I saw
one drunken, hot-as-hell evening outside of Las Vegas,
the Devil's Eye of the sun blazing above them,
that looked an awful lot like his nut sack.
