I walked back today
along the path, in my mind,
where I had come, saw the crags,
the sharp ascents, the bracing view,
a good reminder
(as the way trends downward
into the understory, shaded and close)
that progress has been steady,
that the path rises, after this,
to further heights,
and there will be more views,
more stretches harder
than I have ever climbed,
more to change me beyond recognition,
and nothing for it
but to keep going.

©Wendy Mulhern
March 25, 2016