Our Slow Nervous Ascent

author's note:

Every day, a cliffhanger.


OUR SLOW NERVOUS ASCENT

I began to feel as if
I was dangling
so

I opened my eyes
and saw
I hung suspended on a rope--
apparently, I’d climbed
halfway up a tall cliffside
in my sleep.

Though my heart felt faint
I decided I’d gone too far to stop.

Yes, I often doze off.
But now I fear climbing blindly.
So I force myself to watch
my slow, nervous ascent.

However, occasionally
I need relief
so I pause and close my lids
and as I breathe I see
beyond my own dilemma.

Sometimes then
I see you--
I see you climbing
and dangling
just as I am

and to be honest
I find comfort when
I realize again:
you’re just as terrified
as I am.

© 2021, Michael R. Patton
Soultime: a novel