Climbing Poem by Alan Stroeve

My mind often conjures up notions about places and things reality often falls short of.

Big wall climbing is one of those rare things whose scope and immediacy goes far beyond my wildest dreams.

High up on the route, I feel my life acutely….. Fear lets me know I am still alive.

Although the sun and the moon cut across the sky, time melts into a taunt present tense as I encounter my life moment to moment.

I find myself knowing the features of the rock intimently, knowing that as time passes, I will always remember each delicate aspect of my journey.

I feel my life and I feel my death…..

I am fully awake, even in my dreams…………

The rest of my life feels like driving in second gear.

A. Stroeve