John Delaney’s most recent poem to appear here was “Penny Thoughts” (February 2019).

Hiking Down the Poem
By John Delaney

I start down slowly along its path
without poles or guide rails
taking my steps from stone
to stone not looking around
to be distracted or risk falling
for the switchbacks are tight
and so sharp that I feel I am
hardly progressing when I come
to the abrupt end of a stretch
and turn around and head back
towards where I was but just
a little lower fiercely keeping
my footing and moving forward
and down inexorably down
till the slope falls away and then
suddenly emerge from the brush
out into the clearing where cars
are parked and I can catch my breath
and almost as an afterthought now
look back up where I had been. Wow.

How did I get up there in the first place?