Crater

The horizon so close
But a fingernail’s breadth
Struggling to attain
To claim
Something once unreachable
Inconceivable
At dawn the ascent
The first blinding rays
Creeping to greet you
From the other side

No one before has ever dared
Shake hands with the sun
For years it stood
A monolith indomitable
Abominable
An oppressive caster of shadow
Now the horizon is but a few feet tall
As you ascend its wall
Destiny is but a grip and pull distant

You reach
You haul yourself up to find
After light and triumph leave you glare-blind
That once your sight returns
A new something inside burns
When you glimpse the real horizon
For the first time
And the emptiness inside is left a choice
As are you:
Redouble
Or wither.