Everpest
old man on the hillside
summit in his sight
sherpa to the left
fixed rope to the right
two hundred in front of him
two hundred behind
in step now with hillary
all-conquering kind
peak view stunning
simultaneous blinding
what's hidden below
under snowy icing
20 tons of garbage
many things much worse
four human bodies
four buried climbers
the dichotomies of life
and its many highs
man compromises
age has made him wise
youth on the hillside
summit out of sight
doesn't need an answer
gets the question right
5 comments:
For-Ever-rest for those climbers.
What is it that drives man to conquer the elusive pinnacle, trail the Holy Grail,in the face of obvious dangers, is always a mystery to me.
'Heckler' has a way of seeing things - and making other people see
A great, sharp, pithy poem, so much said with so little.
Raja, this is Kumar (gowri's friend)
The lines 'two hundred in front of him, two hundred behind' conjure an image of an army marching to the battlefield. Some will summit while others will succumb to the cold. It made me think of the numerous tragic battles fought during the World Wars where the casualties were so heavy on both sides- a Pyrrhic victory!
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