Peaks
The time has grown long.
Many have stopped climbing and headed back down.
Some have just decided to settle on the spot where they grew tired.
And now, two more have chosen utterly different mountains.
The time has grown long.
My coevals have become those who started well after me,
And those whom I myself met when I reached this spot, who welcomed me with:
“Here’s where it gets hard.”
The time has grown long.
We struggle against the wind, the cold, the lack of visibility
Our summit is shrouded, yet we know it is there.
We ascend- or die among those who tried.
Photograph by Andrew Collins