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Wednesday, July 15, 2026 at 2:50 PM
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A Verse on Granite:

A Verse on Granite:
John Harmon Mason looks back on a remarkably full life in this photograph originally published in the Atoka County Times for his 100th birthday in August 1967. Born in Tennessee in 1867, Mason was a longtime rural schoolmaster, farmer, and writer who famously authored an entry in the 'Little Blue Book' series and kept a sharp, active mind well into his final years.

How a Cemetery Roadrunner Unearthed the Story of Atoka’s Century-Old Poet

The story didn't start in 1867, or even 1968. It started on a regular afternoon when Candice turned her phone around to show off a photograph she’d taken at the cemetery.

In the frame, a roadrunner sat perched on the crest of a granite headstone. It was a striking image, the kind of quiet, accidental poetry that makes you pause. Beneath the bird's feet, the name John Mason was etched into the rock. I was given a copy of his obituary from the

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