The Climb I sat shivering in front of the flames. You brushed my neck. I held your warm hand, and then looking past you saw the cliff's climb. The canyon's lip and the stars were touching far above us as they have throughout time. I pull off a shoe to shake out a rock I shake to the present with the small rock. It clicks down the long steep slope of red flames. At last it stops falling, but it takes time. The ridge is close, I see using my hand to shade my face. We crawl along touching every stone as we progress up the climb. We've spent so much time working up this climb. Like our relationship, from rock to rock we progress sometimes back tracking, touching trail after trail until tried by flames we reach our goal. Then you reach for my hand, and know we have found the apex this time. On the table top we look back for a time, then down the other side we will soon climb, if we continue. While you hold my hand, I pray we can conquer all of the rock, which challenges us. Soon we'll reach the flames and add more wood to the pile they're touching We're standing so near we're almost touching. I wish we had this closeness all the time. The love we have is like those burning flames that await at the bottom of the climb. So we continue on down over the rock, knowing that the end is not yet at hand. When we reach our journey's end, and you hand me something to drink, I'll kiss you touching your arm lightly. We'll stare back at the rock, and we'll breath deeply in thought of the time we spent struggling on the steeped climb, then lean back while staring into the flames. In the world are flames, licking on every hand. You and I will climb through many touching them from time to time 'til smelted like rock.   -T. Gene Davis