The hills peel off
into an expanse of time
that I’ll pass through too.

Silhouetted, their worn and
jagged shapes strung out,
layer after layer,
before me.

I face the cowardice
that comes with solitude;
the blood oozing from knee;
reminding me
of the finite nature
of this perception.

Facing a yellowing sun,
I watch the dimming
of a star that gives us life
and serves as chronometer
of that life’s passing.

The descent from this peak,
This pinnacle,
lays ahead.
I face it with the
trepidation that comes
from knowing,
the courage that comes
from feeling,
and the winsome thought
of
what tomorrow brings.