Summit to be Climbed

A sad man sat on the tail end
on his old truck
at a saddle near a summit

You could tell his tale
was coming to its end
he sat on the tailgate
of a life

He sipped water through his down turned lips
every sip
slipped past a tongue that hung on words
said and not said
to those dead or gone

He sat alone
this tailgate party was only half the story
you could see, he was sorry
for he sat alone
tailgate down
sipping water past lips, touching slips
it was Fall
at the saddle to the summit

He looked up to it
never having met it
he sat sad and saddle sore
the summit was a little more
he’d swore
he’d see the other side
and
now he knew it’d be another life

He sat, his hands clasped
a last view of what he knew
truck stopped
tailgate down, saddle sore, he swore
next life he’d get it right

He sat
with his tailgate fate
sun setting, truck stopped, looking back
he relived his life

It looked to me he’d seen
this forest …… seen
when it had some trees
it seemed he’d cut a few
now the scene ….. seen
a logger’s life

-cut-
he sat in forest light
now out
about like his …

He remembered then
his life, his wife, his ups and downs
the trees, the birds … now gone
bears, deer shot ….. shots
shoot
he sipped through thoughts
drop by drop
till tears began to drown his heart
he dropped passed thoughts
to down turned lips

The taste of life
now dry
he died
summit to be climbed

7/19/03