There Is No Place to Go

“No Place To Go,” Maynard Dixon, 1935

The vertical incline.

The slog.

A ridge. Finally. Clearing the tree line. To see.

The even ground.

The packed mud.

A ridge. Finally. Hugging the ground with my arthritic feet. To rest.

Amid the scrub pines.

Amid the silence.

A ridge. Finally. Reaching the quiet. To wonder.

Around the mountain.

Around the sun.

A ridge. Finally. Changing the perspective. To feel.

Looking down.

Looking to the horizon.

A ridge. Finally. Releasing my assumptions. To forgive.

Inside my pack.

Inside my boots.

A ridge. Finally. Feeling the strength in my aging body. To pray.

There is no place to go but this ridge.