One step down, one thousand to go
What do you gain when all you know
Is behind you and all you want
Is ahead.
Each breath, harder than the last
Each step, longer than the last
Each thought, simpler than the last:
Get there.
Finish it.
Below is the ground
Around is nothing
Except what holds you back
What you need to conquer
Because all that’s important to you is the next 58 minutes
Till you get a rest
One gulp of water, desperate, kind
As it slides down your throat
And one hour’s more climb
Up a slope so steep
In air so thin
Everything is gone
While you try to begin
To remember why
Why you wanted to do this
What you thought you would get
Satisfaction?
Noting more tangible than that
Is all in your head
All a personal thing
No one understands
Except you
And you have to
There’s no way around it
So you take a step
And feel the boot weigh you down
Now you see the beauty in green,
In brown,
In dark,
In light,
In what’s there and what’s not.
In what you wanted in the first place.
In what you want now.
When the most important thing to you is water
Air
Food
And the shoes on your feet
And the tent on your back
And you are at peace
Because that’s how it’s all supposed to be.
?