Everest

It is not always the far-off and exotic places that prove the most confounding

“Everest”

 

This is not Mt. Everest,
That place where earth and sky touch,
Air thinned for perilous breathing
With storm squalls that suffocate
All visibility.

 

This is not the Amazon,
That last great unknown region,
River charging in restless torrent
With trees that block the paths in
All directions.

 

This is not the labyrinthine
Necropolis ‘neath Paris,
Tunnels intersecting the darkness
With shades who haunt and inhabit
All spaces.

 

This is just the farmhouse and
Same town I grew up in.
No summit, no switchback,
No subterranea yet ghosts aplenty –
I’m lost here all the same.
 

Reviews

[Anima Inspired]

Very powerful... I was a little thrown off by the title because it pertains to just one of the places that you mentioned, but the piece itself was nothing short of wonderful. I love the way that you take the "big things" and then bring them back to the "small" of your life...though, in a way, your life (or the speaker's life) is not so small. This is truly a "make you think" piece, and I can relate to the sentiment... Great imagery, great writing.

[Katherine Wyatt]

So much truth here..It is often the mythic places we visit that give us revelations..but my demons lie in more common every day places...Wonderful write

[Summers Under The Old O..]

Wow. This poem really struck me. I love the description of the exotic, mystical places. The comparison between these wonders and a simple place is genius. The last stanza holds a lot; memories, regrets, confusion, yet wonder and joy. Nice job, well done. :)


Summer