(Copyright 1997 by Fred Geis, used by permission)
In the time of wild snow,
when cruel winter abetted many vain intentions,
The allotted time for dreaming slept,
Rubbed out by the exhaustion of hope.
The blue of heaven blotted out by clouds
a thousand feet thick.
Suddenly in the storming of the peak,
The price of winning proved the energy of the heart,
With every sinew, throb of bone, and clasp of flesh,
Exploring white terrain.
For moments despair won out over despondency,
Remember—they deal with you in different ways.
Do not take it for granted, this giving life to time.
And if night comes hook your hopes on the moon.
(Fred Geis is a Colorado poet, musician, and lover of mountains resides in California, and formally made his home in the town of Carbondale, beneath the heights of Mount Sopris.)