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Ascent

As the mountain loomed before me

And I readied for the climb

I remembered what my father said,

“Take one step at a time
.

Don’t rush in all guns blazing

Look ahead, and plan your route

Sometimes, the longest way is best

Stay fixed and resolute
.

Give eye to your equipment

Selecting just the best

Take only what is needed

And disregard the rest
.

Keep three points of contact

But never less than two

Rest a little when you can

Sit back, enjoy the view
.

Then when you reach the summit

Feeling tired from your ascent

Look back at your achievements

And know it’s time well spent”

— shazbat, Jan 19, 2009

About This Poem

About the Author

Region, Country: Norfolk, UK, GBR

Favorite Poets: Kipling, T.S Eliot, Hilaire Belloc, Ogden Nash, Spike Milligan and many more.

More from this author

Critiques

P

poewriter58

17 years 4 months ago

John

This is excellent advice for life itself. Nice metaphor good writing as always Chrys
Kailashana

Kailashana

17 years 4 months ago

It’s that sudden fall…

It's that sudden fall... more often than not, after the summit, eh? John, I always enjoy your poetry. It's light, humourous, and tells a story, unless it's dark, lugubrious and nonsensical. ;-) ~A p.s. I love your pic too, Chrys... So many adorable animal youtubes, pics/icons on the net. "All in all, it's just another brick in the wall." Pink Floyd There are no walls except for the ones we build. ~me~
shazbat

shazbat

17 years 4 months ago

As my dad says ” its not

As my dad says " its not the fall that kills you the sudden stop at the bottom" Thanks for reading Regards John
L

Lonnie

17 years 4 months ago

Humor and sound advice in one poem!

Always glad to read another Shazbat Special! Whenever I run across one of your poems it makes me so glad that I came to this site! Nice work as always!
C

Conect11

17 years 4 months ago

just

like so many poets of yesteryear. This really resonated with me because of how I'm wired to "rush right in" unlike as your father advised. Most poets can't make this rhyme scheme work it seems nowadays; you make it bend to your very will, and I salute you for it. Mark W. I like Cal and his dog Napalm I like Ike and his itty-bitty A-bomb everybody got one, I want mine you can order it up on Channel Nine. ~From "Doctor Jeep" by The Sisters of Mercy
shazbat

shazbat

17 years 4 months ago

Mark your comments are very

Mark your comments are very much appreciated, as for the rhyming its probably the way I'm wired too Regards John
Race_9togo

Race_9togo

17 years 4 months ago

Great metaphor John

Pity its advice I never take! LOL I am the proverbial fool, rushing in. a good write, this Respectfully, Jim "Laws and rules don't kill freedom: narrow-minded intolerance does" : Race
shazbat

shazbat

17 years 4 months ago

Jim, how many of us actually

Jim, how many of us actually take good advice ? not many I'll bet, thank you very much for your comments. Regards John
themoonman

themoonman

17 years 4 months ago

John...

It has been about fifteen years or so, but I used to love the rush of the rock and the shaking of my entirety as I pulled myself over the final ledge.... can't do it now, smoking has caught up with me and I would never make the hike to the face of a climb... I was only an amateur anyway, the guy that got me involved was indeed a climber... amazing he was on the side of a mountain... loved this piece of yours... Richard
shazbat

shazbat

17 years 4 months ago

Richard, like you I used to

Richard, like you I used to love climbing but its not something Ive done since I was in my twenties, I would still give it a go given the opportunity, did some abseiling last year which was pretty exciting. Glad you liked this one Regards John
themoonman

themoonman

17 years 4 months ago

John...

the rappelling was always fun... it is just that first step... but I loved it... hell-uv-a-rush... now I'm missing it... Richard