Everest's Peak Poem by Mustafa Marconi

High above Everest’s peak
A spirit hovers as a nation sleeps
Gazing downward he cautiously ponders
Afraid to face reality
The souls of our ancestors speak out to him
Looking past his mortal limitations
Commanding him to summon the courage of greatness
To hold fast to peace while consumed by fear
Restless and terrified he tosses and turns
As angels wage battle for the rights of his soul……….
Those who have made the ultimate sacrifice
Tug at his fragile psyche
Opening the mind to clearly scan
Fragments of his own sordid history
Images of innocent men swinging from trees
Their lifeless, charred bodies admired by mobs
Smiling spectators, posing for photos with their young
Like hunters, pleased with their kill
Images of shackled human livestock
Callously sold at auction
Branded 3/5th of a human being
Considered lower then a mangy, diseased dog
Images of murder, rape, and mayhem
Of police dogs, water hoses, and deep seeded sadistic racism.....
Paralyzed by fear he cowards and prays
As the voices reassure him
Massaging anxieties until courage shines through
And how should he carry this new found burden
As the spirit returns and darkness gives way to light
This is the question that gnaws at his conscious
Shall he stand upon a mountaintop
And bellow at the highest of decibels
Or shall he linger invisibly in the backdrop
Like the spook who sat by the door
Whatever the path, whatever the outcome
Today a new chapter begins
With a completely new perspective and outlook
For darkness has given way to infinite light
His eyes slowly beginning to open
While angels wage battle for the rights of his soul