Us Included
Sophia Cline

You can ask us now
What you should do
But we cannot give you the answer you want

Leaving is risking
Being caught in the storm
Where all things, us included, are subject to change

But before you leave
There is this moment
Where you can see the wind laid before you

From that point, which many, us included, don’t notice
You can watch the wind’s grooves, its rhythm and flux
It is beautiful, but within it, every inch is an hour
That is torn to pieces
And thrown at your feet

As you walk, the road you will take
Will both lead and circle you
Taunting that you may never go back the way you came

Each step you take
Will be another cut from the wind on your skin
As its tender blades kiss your ears, kiss your neck

Every hour after you have left
Will be another bruise on your hands from the rocks
As you scramble to grab hold, but only find gravel

You will not fall
Even if you want to
You will boulder on, through the wind laid before you
You, Kilimanjaro, will stand in its wake
Bruises and cuts on a flesh like stone

You, Kilimanjaro, will brave all storms
Pass all tests, endure all trials,

You will not only survive the pressure of an unforgiving Earth
You will flourish in it

Each crushing pulse propelling you
Higher into an all-else-untouched horizon
​
But you will stand alone
And no one, us included, will see