mountain climbing
whenever you climb a mountain,
you must always come down.
no matter how high the mountain
rises majestically
over the land and water below,
you must always come down.
no matter how hard the trail
on an aching knee,
up and down massive boulders,
stacked and worn,
you must always come down.
no matter how long you stay
standing on a sprawling, sunlit rock face,
looking out over the edge
at the deep, dark, sparkling blue sea,
feeling the wind washing over your face
and tossing your hair,
your wings stretching out behind you,
when you can be yourself, your real self,
not the mask you put on at work or at school
or around your family,
but the person you truly are,
unfettered and free,
surrounded only by the rocks and the trees,
and the cool mountain breeze,
and your friends, your real friends,
the ones who let you just be,
no matter how good it feels,
you must always come down.
whether by a slow, winding path
or a steep, jagged cliff,
you must always come down.
we say that life is short,
but life is a long, long, trudging journey
compared with the few, brief moments
when we are truly alive.
(©2011 Cassander)