Death on the Markham Trail

"You’re going to die here this evening
so what will you do in the time that remains?"-- Mahmoud Darwish

I've wanted for some time
to climb to the top of Council Crest
on the Markham Trail. An ambition
sized just right for a spring afternoon.
So I'd put on my walking shoes,
take the MAX to Goose Hollow, disembark,
find the trailhead.
Sweat and breathe hard
on the steep uphills. Look both ways
crossing infrequent roads. Touch every tree
and get my clothes all stained with moss.
Slide in the mud. Sweat and breathe hard.
Nothing like climbing hills steeper than stairs to make you-- choose one:
--curse the rain
--forget death
--cling to life.
Sweat. Breathe hard.
Death is at the back of my neck.
The trees part at the ridge.
I fall into the sky.

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