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Rock Climbing
We paused at the barriers
You and I
Old spews littered the ravine
Way blocked by fallen columns
Ancient anthracite of some primeval Rome
Never to be rebuilt
On any day.
I filled the silence with homilies
To keep one's balance
At all times
To test the footing
Before committing
The recitation echoed in the hollow stillness
Fatherly white noises
Drowning out my angst.
I strode out on the shattered honeycombs
You stood colt-shy and peered down
Fearing precarious perch
Beseeching me across the crevasse.
My hands grasped yours
Trust levitated you safely to my arms
Then I turned
Lifting you ahead
Your small fingers loosed mine
Bravely creeping upward
Above me
And beyond me.
A brief glance back
Sunrise eyes touched mine
Before you climbed away. |
