These my offerings, tiny and fragile, they must take root in stubborn soil. Fertilize them. Give them shape. Twisted they may grow, but their trunks must be strong. They must reach through the night. They must be of their ground... Excavations is a collection of poetry. Some of it is structured; some of it is free verse. Many of these poems are archaeological artifacts. The old material has been examined, arranged, and prepared for display. What does not shine is still pleasing to the eye. Some of these poems were published in a chapbook, Eleusinian Mysteries , in 1995, under the pen name Sarah Maddox.