Poem – The Thing about Mountains (By Gerald Yelle)

You have to keep going. It’s okay to turn around and look at the view

take a few breaths –but the goal is the top and it’s a long way off

and the sun is moving –You have to keep trucking over rocks and boulders,

sand and snow. In the Northeast Kingdom or the Inland Empire,

Sierra Nevada or the Great Divide –It’s one of those places you brought

your wife and kids, but they fell behind. The snow has a cake-like

consistency like beach sand. You’d take a closer look, but the summit

is still a long way off and the only way up is up. You plant one foot

in front of the other until you bump your head. Bump it on the ceiling.

Did you know this was an indoor mountain? You can’t get any higher.

Look at the rest of the house. The fridge barely fits in the pantry,

takes up most of the space. And if you slide it into the alcove that was

made for it you won’t have room to open the door. Forget about the kitchen;

the mountain room is the place to be. Look out the window. The view

is restricted but you can see the distant mountains and streams.

Bio:

Gerald Yelle lives in Amherst, MA.

In addition to writing his own poetry, Gerald also shares and reviews poems from others as well. You can visit Gerald’s blog at the following url.

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