Each vertebrae and tendon
is stretched taut
in the ascent.
Movement hugged
into the spirit
from whence it came,
each manoeuvre,
like a tune
or a tiny word
that moves the moment upward,
harnessing the fears
pitted against the rock.
The skies begin to darken.
hands caress the silky rock
feel the rope’s friction
in the spit of rain,
securing the next handhold
with a deeper
strength, a closer
sense of unity with the stone.
Pushing upwards
the air below empties,
thins and falls away
as the summit
brings us up,
alive.