The Climb

I stand straight, looking out across the valley;
The climb has seemed interminable.
But now I see the high peak above.
I acknowledge fellow travellers.
We marvel at the sight before us,
And notice the glow of lava pouring down the slopes ahead.
The power and might of the mountain fills us with excitement and dread.

As I step forward, my companion looks at me curiously.
 "This is the journey", she says. "There is no more."
I see that she is concerned that I intent to move on further.
"The mountain is mighty, it is beautiful, but it is also cruel.
Like an ocean wave, that flips a boat over without a care.
The power we see is mindless.
We ride it like the surf.
We enjoy its generosity and exuberance,
Always mindful that it will crush us with indifference."

I am perplexed. This mountain does not give me power.
It is the world under my feet, the road I have to tread.

"I have a guide" I say.
"The guide says follow me and I will lead you further.
There is more.
We will cross these lava fields, and ascend to a safer place.
I may be hurt, but not broken.
I am trusting my guide."

"No guide has ever got through these Lava fields,"
My companion replies.
"Many people have believed different routes,
They are all mistaken.
Viewing from afar is the only way to feel the might of this mountain."

Again I recognise the sense of these words.
I have seen many people hurt, and lost,
But I remember that my guide assured me that this mountain is theirs.
They are familiar with this terrain.  They have walked this route before.
"When it gets too difficult," I recall my guide saying, "I may need to carry you."

I look before me and see the path;  it is as clear as day.
I look up at my companion and point.
They look to me with pity in their eyes,
"There is no path, you will stumble.
Do not go on."

But I know that I have no option.
No one is safe staying here.
Destruction is in the air, and I feel the foreboding.
"Don't get comfortable with this view, this land is temporal," I say.
I know that I am too weak to manage it on my own.

I realise that my eyes see differently.
The climb; I feel the draw of my guide, and excitement in my heart.

I know this journey is to be a reunion,
The creator has not forgotten me.
I know that it was never intended that I leave,
But I lost my way and tumbled down.
The guide found me, and has lead me ever since.
I sense that this present view is a mere reflection of what is ahead.