Ascension

I carry the weight of the world,

but these feelings of pain,

depletion, and exhaustion have

only made me stronger. I have

come a long way, but that is

because I don’t know when

to stop. Blood drops drip off

my weathered hands. Tear

drops fall to the ground

so far away. The day I began

my climb was the day I left

my past behind. Each day, I get

further away from the person

I was. Now, the old me is

someone I can’t see: a distant

memory. My feet are frozen,

but I keep going. I keep climbing.

I have spent most of my life

trying to raise the bar: trying

to reach new heights. When will

I learn that there is a ceiling

for a reason? Every building has

a top floor, and every beginning

inevitably comes to an end.

I know that my time is limited,

and there’s only so much energy

left to spend. There is no sense

waiting for tomorrow when there

is no way to pay back the time

we borrowed. I turn around,

and I see birds flying in a clear sky.

I see a distant sun – a world now

foreign. I’m not ready to take

the leap of faith and grow

my wings. I need to keep climbing

this mountain that every single

hand has and will touch.

One day, I will pass life’s test,

and I will be put to rest.

Here I am, and so are these

scars I’ve gotten along the way.

They talk to me without saying

anything; they remind me

that I have survived the toughest

of times. I may not ever reach

the top, and that’s okay with me;

whatever happens, I’ll let it be