A Verse on Granite: 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

Atoka County Times, and just like that, the rabbit hole opened up.