Rock Facing; Ascension of Strength
(the journey back into the unknown)
djbeaulieu , 2007

When one stumbles, or trips, or slips, or falls its goanna hurt some - maybe a lot.
I, however, fell today. They say, “666 feet, straight down, without a sound.”
Ooops !!
Here I am, though, alive, in pain, beaten, cut, bloody, but I’m alive and ready to fly.
And,
I think, I have to say, I found my angel today. What do you think?
Ah, of course – “Kowinkydink.” Why did I not think of that.

Simple, I believe in the universe and the powers that be, both good and bad.
I feel their power as it flows and fills my being, my spirit, my soul.
So, I will start my ascent and like a butterfly I’ll metamorphosize, along the way.
Ripped finger tip after ripped finger tip; bloody pad after bloody pad.
Yes, one long, painful, exerting pull after another, fully extolled.
One arm reach at a time, crevice by crevice belay after belay.
What on this universal earth did you do today?

Like a stealthy lizard I climbed, belly to rock;
chin split after chin split and my angel was smiling all the way.
Not me, I can tell you that, for I was snorting like a stuck bull.
My lungs were burning like the intake of a bellows funnel stock.
The gut was screaming in mortal pain, but not in vain like a castaway.
The forearms were strained, battered and bruised a little more with every pull.
I said a prayer for me and I hoped my cup of faith and strength would become full.

Every upward moment of my arms were followed, simultaneously, by a leg.
I was creeping up the mountain side; kissing the hard core of the rock’s face.
Stroke by stroke, arm pull by arm pull, and leg push by leg push.
Each movement of my leg was now following in harmony from crag to crag;
each movement of my body was like an orchestrated vulgate, full of grace.
The energy flowed evenly throughout me, like angelic chanting from a Cush.
Yes, the angels are here in legions with the power of God’s burning bush.

I clasps the crag with crooked hands and closer to the sun I now stand.
Close to the sun in lonely lands, no more, for I’m in my homeland
in an azure world, I stand with God and the angels hand in hand.
The wrinkled sea beneath me crawls as I watch from this mountain
peak, sharp and steep, but never again will I fall into the pit,
perhaps a slip – just a bit, but never back into the abyss.
I’ll move with the power of a thunderbolt and the grace of Wren

I watch from the top of the mountain sharp and steep.
“333 feet, straight up, without a hitch,” they say.
Did you get it, by the way?
djb



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in any form or means, without written permission from the author. Authored 2008.
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This is one of several poems that was created for a new book, "Rock Face Climbing - Pure Power." It is about addictions the ones we all face, directly or indirectly, and how harsh the fall and redemption is.