But Then the Sky

/ Liz H-H
A stairway of timber and dirt leads upwards through a verdant path toward a bright white light.

© Ayr/Gray

Stopped on the stair
Halfway here and partway there
Nature’s tunnel narrows the path
Limits the options, like algorithm’s math          

Timber stairs cut deep in the hill
Soften the steps and muddies my will
Is backwards the frontwards
Or is it that light
If I stop here much longer
It will be only night

Night time familiar
A long-time friend
Deer paths I’ve followed
All lead to this end

Red blooms beckon
Encourage the crawl
Wind now recaptured
My steps upward fall

A light at the end
Or just one more start
It pounds in the head
It labors the heart

Legs tremble, the vision clears
Adjusts to the light
A new story here
But then
There’s the sky!

© Liz Husebye Hartmann (2024)

Many thanks to Jenne Gray and C.E. Ayr for their photo prompt, The Unicorn Challenge (06/14/2024). No more than 250 words in length.

16 thoughts on “But Then the Sky”

  5. I like the lines:

    Night time familiar
    A long-time friend

    They sum up the fatigue and perhaps despair of the climber.

    I also like the ending – the joy of the climber’s achievement is clear. Nicely done.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Hello!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.