There is no forward here, only the agony
of sliding backward on this slope
I want so desperately to summit,
but the more I want it, the farther ahead
I focus, the more I trip and slip,
landing in the dirt, knees skinned,
pants ripped, trying to look around
and laugh at something, trying to remember
the lesson I keep almost learning,
trying to let go of everything but this moment
begging to be lived before I take another step.