Claiming the Mountain

Claiming the Mountain

 

 

while Sisyphus the giant

was claiming his mountain

determined to make it

under the weight

of his impossible dream

                                                             I understood the struggle

 

and then

 

one by one

I picked up

the many pebbles

running down

from under his feet

 

                                                                in time

 

I used them all

to build

some sort of a staircase

and

 

 

                                                                at the end of the road

 

I got myself

a solid cottage

at the top

of my very own hill

 

 

Reviews

[Sami Khalil]

Pebble by pebble , step by step , block by block and doing it in the right love and motives is the essence of success where it is sustainable for the long run. A very good message in this write written by a talented author...:)

[Petra Vlah]

Deciding on an obtainable goal and being persistent in following it step by step is preferable and by no means is settling for less

[Sami Khalil]

You are right ...And welcome...:)

[Vincent Moore]

What an amazing twist, yet don't we all want to have a solid cottage in the end. I have struggled building mine, yet content I am. I know you understand the struggle, yet sensible enough to pick up those pebbles and shine them into diamonds my poet. I loved every word penned. Rated high, tweeted and shared my sweet Petra

[Petra Vlah]

Thank you so much Vincent. The poem was once on HP and had over 30 amazing comments, but I unpublished it already and will also delete it soon

[Vincent Moore]

Don't be disappointed, it takes time here and I find more genuine writers who comment. One can get tired of comments like " So wonderful, beautiful, you write so well" here I find more intelligent responses. I love your work.

[Petra Vlah]

I am more than disappointed with Hub Pages - I am furious and that's why I am leaving as soon as I can transfer my work to this site where creative writing is appreciated and where commercialism and money making garbage is not the goal

[Vincent Moore]

Bravo I applaud you my friend for making that decision, I've done the same. Besides my own site and here it's plenty. hugs

[john alan willox]

i love the myth of sysepheus and this takes a nice twist - building your own cottage - nice one.

[Petra Vlah]

Thank you for reading my poem, John. The Sisyphus struggle could be interpreted as perseverance to the point of obsession, but also as an exhausting exercise in futility. I am not saying people should settle for less and be happy with the crumbles left from others, however I believe tailoring your life according to your own standards and competing only with yourself in reaching your full potential should be good enough

[Onku Ghosh]

As always i loved this poem too.What I understand is a sensible person realises the impossibility of the dream of Sisyphus...... he quietly makes use of the pebbles to make himself a solid house.One should not reach for the moon straightaway but be content with the little one has and make use of that to enhance ones position in life. Great write and a beautiful thought!!

[Petra Vlah]

That is exactly what I meant. At the end of the day overachievers are less happy than others and many times they are being crashed by their own ambitions. Taking small steps in the same direction and having the perseverance in accomplishing a realistic goal is the key to success and a happy life. By no means this is to say "think small"! I encourage people to find their realistic limits and accept them.

[Souladareatease]

Such whimsy to life's struggle told in story craft--Beautiful write!!!

[Petra Vlah]

Thank you for your comment, I appreciate you stopping by and I will come over to read some of your work

[Imara]

I love how clever you are with your words and your formatting. There are two poems here. Each with their own powerful meaning. Your greek mythology reference was golden as well and to truly appreciate this piece one should at least look up the basics of that myth.
We must assume our narrator is also being punished, being so close to Sisyphus and his struggle with the rock. As one is punished, and our narrator is punished he takes the little bits of happiness from this hell so to speak and builds him or herself a little world of happiness.
What I took from this first poem was finding hope in the darkness. And from the second poem (which is so great it could have stood on its own) that at the end of this struggle it will all makes sense. Kind of a every thing has a reason for happening kind of feeling. Great Job :)

[Petra Vlah]

My intention was never to write two poems in one. The way I intended it was a parallel-contrast between two attitudes about life; the struggle of an overly ambitious projects that can crash you under its weight as opposed to the more realistic view of the one who knows and accepts its own limits. The key words of the poem are "mountain" and "hill"

[Imara]

Hm wow. I read that as a clever side poem. I can see that. A great poem and lesson :)

[Gloria]

This is wonderful I love it :-)

[Petra Vlah]

Thank you Dakota, I appreciate you stopping by and leaving a comment