It's Not a Matter of Flying

thunder above, mountain below

Montreal, Quebec — Photo by Jonathan Potter ⓒ 2024

It's not a matter of flying
but of climbing up the mountain
to greet the sun ascending,
step by step, making the most
of the moment by moment change
and the light laying out your path.

Let your footsteps drip with the light
and let the cool of the morning
embrace your breath as you go
with dignity but without
grand intentions or greedy goals
but only appreciation.

It's not a matter of hitting
grand slam home runs every minute
or of calling thunderbolts
down onto the mountaintop
but only to feel soft thunder
within your hearbeat as you climb.

This carpet of gold spreading out
behind you as you continue
on is meant to tell you your
footsteps are blessed and your way
is clear all the way up to where
the thunder rumbles the thin air.