How long must I dangle here?
Palms screeching out mournful complaints
Fingers slipping and sore
Arms stretching and shaking
Struggling to find purchase underneath
Foot soles scraping stones, unsupported
Kicking clay, clumsy, collapsing
They seek a solid surface
The end of my journey lies both ways
One leads to sucess, upwards, triumph
One leads to rest, downfall, stillness.
How do I endure either? Face either?
There! A boulder! My foot arches, extends
I press firmly, trying to balance
It crumbles from under me,
Spilling sediment swiftly slipping by
My arms ache angrily, arguing
My fingers feel fragile, fractured
My heart wants to let go
My brain wants to move forward
My feet search again, vainly,
They touch a strong stone. Sturdy.
I tentitavley test the slab
Leaning my weight, it holds stradfast.
I release my ravaged digits
Slide them down rough rocks
And grasp a lower handhold
Allowing my legs to land on the ledge
Relief floods my mind
Tears fill my vision
I blink them back and rest
Waiting to be ready to continue the climb
©spepticgrl
S