Legend says
He parted with only
His Swiss knife and
A pair of running shoes.

He wanted to
Reach
Far & High,
But feared he wouldn’t
Make it to the next
Boulevard.

And he was off!
Racing
To the melting mountaintop,
Struggling towards
The tropical side
Of Antarctica.

Like everyone else,
He shed lots of blood,
Sweat, and tears.

But I have a strange
Philosophy!
I believe in the
Soothing beauty of
Your independent
Mind,
Thinking as you do,
And
Doing as you think.

It poured on
The first day
And the next.
The smoke from
The forest fires
Almost drowned his
Lungs.

An ocean of
Courage, his
Words came down with
The crashing of the
Waves—
“I’ll have my way, oh yes, I
Will!”

I have a strange philosophy!
I believe in the soothing
Beauty of your independent
Mind,
Thinking as you do,
And
Doing as you think.

Soon he was holding
The horizon,
As the others
Clicked their pens.

He was free—
He had cut himself loose.

Today,
He holds her
Hand,
And proudly stands
On top of the
Mountain,
That which he
Had made,
And that
Which had made
Him.