It is a heavy burden I carry;
holding all this inspiration and danger—
watching a human chain
of climbers young and old
digging in and up, step by slow step,
their stories swirling from ridge
to rocky ridge as they ascend.
Dozens of them, hundreds of them
trailing one after another
lugging tents and tools,
ropes and cords dragging,
dangling
from my slopes
and ledges—a constant crunch
of boots, as voices echo
in thin air, a chatter of
determination and doubt
in a marvel of languages
across snow and ice;
this is a piece of paradise.
I stand in wonder while cries
of terror and triumph catch
in cold throats among bright flags
marking camps and countries
and praise for this world on high;
and when they are gone
what is left for me is silence
and footprints to the sky.
