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Poems - Iron Sharpens Iron

Iron Sharpens Iron

by i_monster

The climber in front of me held fast,
As my crampons scratched for purchase

I could feel his strength waning
And I knew that I must pull myself together in a hurry

I quickly found a foothold to bear my weight
Then just clung to the wall, unable to move

The blinding snow driven by howling wind
Tore at my face as shards of ice scratched my eyes
Confirming the mountain storm
That had come upon us so suddenly

Now it was just the two of us
Separated from our troop in the storm
Terrified and desperate

I felt my friend start to move and I knew
I must get going for we were tethered together
Strengthening each other

It was not always like this...

Days earlier we had rested comfortably at base camp
Laughing and boasting with the other climbers in our company

He from Britain and I from Canada had formed an instant affinity for each other
Who could know that we would be stranded together days later?
Relying on each other for strength and courage

I could not think of those things now
My very life and his, depended on our will to not give in

Slowly, painfully, we scaled the icefall
Praying silently for some semblance of safety
As we moved inch by painful inch

I felt the rope go taut and I knew he had reached the ledge
As I approached, he lent me his hand and hauled me up onto the platform

He smiled as I collapsed to my knees
And though I knew his burden was greater than mine,
He looked so strong

We hunkered down and scrambled at our packs with frozen fingers
Eager to sip some tea silently as we waited out the storm

Just then an eerie calm came over the mountain
And a beautiful display of aurora played out in the heavens above us

We both stood and stared in awe at the beautiful view around us
This was our reward for a hard fight won

In that moment words were not needed
We were happy to be alive

As we recharged on the ledge we conversed
Pronouncing our goals, our loves, and our fears
Then at once during a lull in the exchange we knew
It was time to get going

I was not looking forward to the climb
I was content to just stay here in this moment of warmth and safety
I was scared of the storm coming again and as if he could read my mind
He nodded his head and said-
"There will be more hardship ahead. But we will make it through
-TOGETHER!"

*This piece is dedicated to a man who, by his strength inspired me to face my fears though half-way around the world. My thoughts and prayers are with you. May we strengthen each other during times of hardship. Climb hard and never give up!

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Re: Iron Sharpens Iron (Score: 1 )
by Zbird on Friday, March 02, 2012 (13:02:58)

I couldn't let this amazing poem go unnoticed! the powerful images created are superb! I found myself holding my breath in anticipation of the next step in the climb. wonderfully written.

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