The climbathon, a reckless race to try?
Mountain of the dead don't break my will
Rafflesia that flourish in the trill
Through leafy glade the watchful monkeys spy
Your granite plateau peaks defy me still
I've climbed through yorkshire fell and lakeland hill
but this a bridge too far, a ridge too high?
Mountain of the dead don't break my will
A fault of ice and magma fury spill
where jungle fern unfurls into the sky
Your granite plateau peaks defy me still
Limbs succumb to creeping cramp's tendrils
Intoxicating air in short supply
Mountain of the dead don't break my will
A flash of colour through the mist, the thrill!
Killian descending, watch him fly!
Your granite plateau peaks defy me still
Mountain of the dead won't break my will.
Joanna and I ran the Kinabalu Climbathon in 2010, both of us running on the days of our birthdays - me on my 40th!
ReplyDeleteThe Mountain of the Dead is thought to be the possible origin of the name 'Kinabalu'.
The poem is a strict form called a 'villanelle' - a 19 line poem where the first and third lines of the first stanza alternately end each subsequent stanza and then come together for the final one. The poem tries to recreate the scene, the relentless push to the summit and my fear that I wouldn't make the very challenging 2 1/2 hour cut off to the summit.
From the outset the magnitude of the feat fills the runner with dread as he tackles the impossible. The lifeless granite mountain is contrasted with the luscious view point of the onlookers...Hopelessness kicks in, previous climbs once so proud of, seem trivial..nothing compares to this. Every last resource is squeezed to its maximum extent..yet for a fleeting second Killian is acknowledged as he flashes past on his downward path.
ReplyDeleteThe poet leaves us in no doubt of the desperate struggle to conquer this mountain of the dead but does he succeed? We are left wondering.
PS The choice of the 'villanelle' seems an appropriate one for the climber engaged in repetitive rhythm to spur himself on and conquer the beast.
ReplyDelete