The Mountain And Us Poem by RIC BASTASA

the double cab climbs the road
for hours

our purpose is only to
see the highest
mountain in Asia

when we arrive there
it is cold
but the sun is shining brightly
the panoramic view
is clear and
accurate to the eyes

it is Li Po
drunk who is
imagining things

the mountain is not staring
at me

it is me that stares at it
i am not speechless
it is the mountain
that is speechless since
it cannot really speak
naturally

this is not an issue
anymore
it cannot be something
debatable

and then i am taking pride
talking to myself
giving my hand a handshake:

I am sane and i am not imagining things

i am seeing this mountain as it is
treating it as
it has to be

inanimate, still,
lifeless and
stuck upon its
foot

it has no feelings
and i've read
that there were times
when it was cruel

(the tour guide keeps
on talking)

taking lives of men
who want to give the impression
that they can
conquer it

when it cannot be
when it is not

and does not
know
what war is all about

in truth
all these conflicts are
simplistically speaking
man-made
and self-inflicted