The Jump-Off!
every time a significant hike looms before me,
one that pushes the body
in aerobics, in the working of eye, foot, knee on irregular terrain,
I fear the fall, whether from a misstep
or from lacking the wherewithal to keep pushing up, and down,
knowing the time will come when body and will, won’t,
today we hiked over 6 miles along the upper ridges of the Smokies,
heart and lungs pushed,
decision of where to put the foot a challenge on the rocky terrain,
two hours up, two hours back,
the views welcoming and magically inviting all along the trail,
the views at our goal: spectacular!
forest and ridge below and before us,
as if we have won a lottery that gives us a ticket
to the best views of distance and depth
nature allows in the high country,
time slows down just before, during, and after the Jump-Off,
as if we are in Faerie,
I fear this moment at the glory of the Jump-Off
might be the last up here my time will allow,
and I also fear forgetting to be in the joy of this particular moment.
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