It is too many Peaks towering high
Snow-capped giants scraping the sky
Mighty Himalayas
Cold winds howl and icy blasts sigh
It is too treacherous
Those jagged peaks were so perilous
Glaciers groan and shift
Avalanches roar, and the danger is furious
It is too remote
Villages clinging to precipitous slopes
Narrow trails wind
?Few dare venture where only mountain folk cope
It is too unforgiving
Altitudes leave climbers gasping for air
Lack of oxygen
Only the most fit and resilient dare
It is too unpredictable
Weather changing in a breathless beat
Blizzards raging
Whiteout conditions, a frozen white sheet
It is too isolated
Valleys cut off from the world outside
High passes are closed
For seasons long, communities abide
It is too well-known range by Sherpas
Reading the signs, they alone can guide
Tales of the Yeti
In that vast wilderness, they reside
It is too extraordinary
These mountains that the human spirit defy
The mystical call
To summit those peaks where only brave hearts crave
Categories:
sherpas, mountains,
Form: Free verse
high coup
haiku
Chomolungma's fame
sherpas' legendary strength-
beware the dead zone
Categories:
sherpas, celebration, mountains, poetry, word
Form: Footle
Chomolungma's fame
sherpas' legendary strength-
beware the death zone
Categories:
sherpas, courage, death, mountains,
Form: Haiku
Life whisking by
Partial storms are never
The sherpas they need to be
There's more to it than
Viewmaster renderings
laced with lemon twists
And why must I share it
Without the ability to expunge
That, this and those
Of my choosing
Slice me a taste of the rarefied air
Topped with cream, joy and
An overwhelming sense
That tomorrow is always better than today
That doldrums are merely pimples
On the flesh of porous humanity
Eagerly waiting to be popped
And wiped on the shirt
That needs changing anyway.
(5/25/10)
Categories:
sherpas, analogy, journey, life, philosophy,
Form: Free verse
Born a soul into a vessel of life
Innocent and pure a spirit riding its ship
The maiden voyage launches without major strife
Where will it guide ones wondrous trip?
The path of night or path of day?
Traveling along every twist and turn
Is it the path where all its dreams lay?
For what end destiny does the heart yearn?
Guiding forces often push one down unintended trail
Heavy burdens carried on vessel’s back
Guideposts and lurking shadows do not avail
Waiting weather and hidden beasts do attack
Sherpas help keep vessels moving along
Opening canopy signals the right way
Guiding vessel toward the summit where it does belong
Vistas become available with the light of day
All senses absorb the astounding view
Site, sound and touch are at their peak
Framed portraits both old and new
While embracing the ultimate destination you seek
By: Richard J. Long
December 2011
What has Nature to teach us in regards to the Soul?
Categories:
sherpas, adventure, happiness, life, places,
Form: Rhyme
upon reaching the frozen summit,
the mountaineers jump in jubilation,
then proudly unfurl and firmly plant
the damp flag of their faraway nation;
oh, how they noisily whoop it up,
strutting in chest-thumping elation,
slapping each other's shoulders
in riotous joy and celebration;
ecstatic over what seems to them
is a real monumental conquest,
a sense of having personally tamed
the awesome, looming Mt. Everest!
nearby, squatting, huddling close,
handling the baggage of each climber,
seven sturdy, veteran Sherpa guides,
through the years, still quietly wonder:
what really is the big, big deal
these batches of city folks make
out of just standing on this peak,
a slow, boring trek for its own sake?
what is there fit to brag about
in climbing slowly and leisurely,
unburdened by loads of provisions
the silent Sherpas carry for a fee?
why, with modern climbing gears,
an alert chopper hovering above,
food supplies, gadgets, equipment,
they're luckier than a winter dove!
but really, what they can do in days
Sherpa lads hunting in the wilderness,
with less preparation, on short notice,
can easily do in just a day or even less !
Categories:
sherpas, adventure, nature, people,
Form: Rhyme