Hawkman
03-20-2013, 07:07 AM
The wind is cooling
after the exertion of the climb,
each upward step
fuelled by overtaxed
and burning lungs.
Rest, stand in sunshine;
hear the swallows
rip through thinning air to buzz your head,
the sound like tearing silk,
then turn, and look at Africa below.
This is where the limestone pushes up,
breaking through the velvet dermis
of alpine grass.
To the left, like a row of severed feet,
the Twelve Apostles plough the earth
in titanic furrows, their toes reaching
ever downwards to the valley floor.
Look up, see the clouds, ephemeral as thought,
floating almost within reach,
casting their patchy shadows
over all the world.
Above is an eternity of blue.
Look down, where, around your feet,
colonies of tiny flowers
huddle amidst the fractured stones,
clinging onto life on high
with shallow roots.
To the right, the Drakensberg extend,
overshadowing the receding plain
to merge with the horizon in a purple haze.
A Rock Kestrel alights with momentary grace
in pursuit of prey
and you watch it for a while,
until time, in this timeless place,
beckons you away.
after the exertion of the climb,
each upward step
fuelled by overtaxed
and burning lungs.
Rest, stand in sunshine;
hear the swallows
rip through thinning air to buzz your head,
the sound like tearing silk,
then turn, and look at Africa below.
This is where the limestone pushes up,
breaking through the velvet dermis
of alpine grass.
To the left, like a row of severed feet,
the Twelve Apostles plough the earth
in titanic furrows, their toes reaching
ever downwards to the valley floor.
Look up, see the clouds, ephemeral as thought,
floating almost within reach,
casting their patchy shadows
over all the world.
Above is an eternity of blue.
Look down, where, around your feet,
colonies of tiny flowers
huddle amidst the fractured stones,
clinging onto life on high
with shallow roots.
To the right, the Drakensberg extend,
overshadowing the receding plain
to merge with the horizon in a purple haze.
A Rock Kestrel alights with momentary grace
in pursuit of prey
and you watch it for a while,
until time, in this timeless place,
beckons you away.