Side of Time

Winds of ice
rip through the thin fabric of my sweater,
piercing my chilled bones.
In a world of shadows,
I'm all alone.
I open my eyes,
and peer through my eyelashes of snow;
everything is blanketed in a blinding white,
but I know better.
I exhale slowly,
and watch as my warm breath battles the cold air,
spiraling forever upwards.
I raise my eyes,
tracing every peak and curve of the mountain ahead of me.
My heart begins to race,
as my hands begin to reach, without having to be asked.
It's twilight.
The last rays of sun kiss my frozen cheeks,
before disappearing behind a blanket of darkness.
I begin to climb,
my limbs knowing exactly how to bend and twist to meet
every obstacle.
My mind leaves,
swirling into pictures and pieces, trying desperately
to detach.
My heart holds tighter,
as pain and desire rip through my whole being.
Gritting my teeth,
I climb higher.
Reach, grab, pull.
The actions spill over into words,
that I whisper under my breath.
Time disappears beneath my feet,
as my concentration waives.
I feel myself slipping,
but I don't resist.
Once more, I repeat the words,
before releasing my slight grip on the edge.
I feel like a feather,
drifting to earth,
a forgotten piece of a whole, that no longer needs it
to be complete.
The wind coarses through me,
working with gravity, pulling me ever closer.
"No!" I gasp, throwing out a desperate hand.
Crude rocks slice through the soft pads of my fingertips,
as I climb, while falling.
Slowly, my world pulls itself to a halt,
placing me back in time.
Words flow through my mind, and leave my lips once more.
Only now, I am singing new words,
a lullaby of sorts.
Gentle words to remind my heart,
that even though I'm climbing,
it's only to fall apart.