Poetry

The Tower

When I was young they brought me to the Empire State building

They lifted me onto a window ledge

They told me to climb it.

They told me to climb as though my life depended on it

They told me I would never amount to much if I could not reach the top

They told me others could not be allowed to beat me

They told me I had to win

They told me a great many things

And so I climb.

From side to side

Floor to floor

Ledge to ledge

Sometimes footholds make themselves known

Sometimes they hide

It’s my job to find them

If I do not I will remain on the side of the building until I fall

Some people say they are afraid of heights

They are not

They are afraid of falling

I am afraid of falling

I cannot fall now

I am too high to fall

If I fall I will die

And so I climb

I cannot stop

I cannot get down

I cannot lose

And so I climb

The expectation

The summit

The very tip top

Towers above me

In the clouds

Where I am sure it is lonely

Where there is nothing to eat

Or drink

Or breathe

Nothing to hold on to

But empty air

And the fact that you have reached the top

I don’t want to reach the top

But I must

And so I climb

       Climbing

                   Climbing

                                           Climbing