renai.plus

a cartography of the heart

here the trail begins as a held breath.
the air still tastes of the valley you came from,
but the light has already turned, sideways,
and there is a name in your mouth
you have not yet permitted to be a name.

海抜 0,420m | foothills

1,180 m

Stanza II — The Switchback of Doubt

this is the part where the path doubles back
and you mistake the slope for failure.
a cloud moves through you, and through it,
a question you have been answering
in the wrong direction for some years.

海抜 1,180m | switchback

1,742 m

Stanza III — The Ridge of Reciprocity

at this altitude the wind is honest.
it asks once, and only once,
whether you would carry someone's weather
inside your weather, indefinitely,
and the answer arrives before the question.

海抜 1,742m | ridge

2,318 m

Stanza IV — The Summit of Saying It

here, where the snow is older than language,
you set the word down like a stone on a cairn
and discover, with embarrassment, that the sky
has been listening for it
the entire long way up.

海抜 2,318m | summit