Memorable writing that sparks imagination. Lean in. Hear the writer’s voice on the page
Rock Climbing
by Su Shafer
Not looking down is easier
when you’re struggling up.
The focus is ALL up
the next up
finger hold – up
foot hold – up
carabiner solid – secure up.
The hands know how to find the hammer without looking.
Down is not in the picture.
Up is in careful, methodical inches
step by step
hold by hold
the goal is ahead
edging closer and closer.
It’s only when you get to the top
that you realize how far down is
to get home.
The dizzy certainty is that
INSTANT DOWN
is imminent
and permanent.
CHOREOGRAPHED DOWN
Is trying to control the Law of Gravity
with sweaty hands and
and a heart mde of lead, thumping hard
like a cannonball to your balance.
Realizing the top is only one long “oh shit!” moment of aloneness
because only Death’s hand
will catch you
if you make a mistake
and fall.
Su Shafer is a creative crafter, fabricating bits of writing in poetry and short stories, and other bits into characters that appear in paintings or sit on various bookshelves and coffee tables.
She lives in a cottage on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington, where the tea kettle is always whistling and the biscuits freshly baked. One never knows who might stop by to share a rainy afternoon. And all are welcome.
