The Quest for Silence

There are times when a climber longs for silence

The pastoral kind

The elusive kind

Free of the clamorous din of carabiner and piton

The unique kind experienced after settling into

A precipitous bivouac

Where the final bedding down

After restored nourishment is complete

And the butane stove is shut off

When the last flicker of a candle extinguishes

And the allegro

Of night’s reverie

Ushers in quiet thoughts 

That enjoin the adagio of the moon’s sonata

Such inimitable silence is always missed