MOST ALIVE

Last lesson learned.

Muscle strain maximum, fingers gripping stone, tendon stress extreme, holding on.  Challenging fear. Had I bit off too much?  Hand release equals oblivion.   Consuming terror crushed resolve many times, leading to failure, shame.  Vertical rock at chest, this time I will succeed.  

 

Gray gritty granite tears flesh, exposing frailty, immensity of task. Body mere speck on monolith.  Huge burden fright ….  grinding me into stone like giant’s foot, lungs compressed, deflated sacks struggle for breath, eyes closed.

 

Failures, past attempts, consuming mind.  Mocking mutterings through chapped bleeding lips of former companions: “he doesn’t have what it takes.”  The shame, embarrassment pounds in temples, holding to life, feet in space, grip loosening.

 

Struggling, finding purchase, fist wedged between rocks.  Three point contact shrunk to one, arm flailing, legs kicking void. Up, blue sky dancing on cliff edge ….. beckoning.   

 

Leap of faith, make grab, finding hold.  Dumbfounded by risk, no choice, thin line life/death apparent.  Alive, but so scared.  Cheek abraded, hugging cliff like baby at breast.

 

Nearing top…. believing.  Reaching, feeling pain, hand swells: venomous!  Precarious, body weakening, grip loosening, legs buckling.  No longer seeing blue, only grays, deathly distance down…far….far…..below.  Falling……never feeling more alive.

 

 

Reviews

[Stammers]

Struggling, finding purchase, fist wedged between rocks. Three point contact shrunken to one, arm flailing, legs kicking void. Up, blue sky dancing cliff edge….. beckoning.

some parts I struggled with closer to the beginning, when you have a lot of impact words they can lose their impact, but it picked up again, I could feel the tension, felt sick actually, as I were the one dangling there - good job! Just a question from a bimbo - did he drop or did he make it?? It's not actually clear!! Plunging in the emotional sense or did he slip back last minute?

This is a very entertaing piece, and quite original, I enjoyed going on the physical climb not a journey I've found on the cafe before, after this is revised, I think it will be really good!

[emmajoy]

Oh yes! There's great and true awareness of climbing the mountain face: the daring of intent, the moving up to side, cling, up, aching, gasping, up and on and on, knees at an angle, looking for a finger hold, muscles stressing .. oh yes .. it takes courage, control, strength, wisdom, respect .. and the getting there to the top is more than exhilerating, its a personal miracle.

As to that ending .. not sure I'd ever want to be that alive .. but sky diving would be a happy alternative.

Great words: 'Struggling, finding purchase, fist wedged between rocks. Three point contact shrunken to one, arm flailing, legs kicking void. Up, blue sky dancing cliff edge….. beckoning.

This could be life, this could be finding faith .. this could be a choice between life and death .. this makes the reader think and feel

[Ed Hart]

you don't get that ride for a quarter