And Boulders Pierced the Earth
that hurtling inversion
Feet upon dusty boulders now
Eyes peer off a sheer face and
discordancy in my mind and body
breathes the fall to life.
This is fear.
To see at such great height a peregrine
warmed by northern gusts
brings sharpness to my breath
levitates my core to my throat
steadies a wobble in pristine slices.
This swirling, iced atmosphere—
I am that bird and time
will cease to pass here.
Oh!
but to look down with diamond focus,
periphery b
l
u
r
r
e
d
— is to see that which pierced the Earth.
It is ridges torn in forgotten ravaging,
lichen etched in proud, coarse bones.
Giants —
off-sprung from the cliffs —
boulders.
And me, cutting
distance with a kindred stare.
You say fearing heights is a mask
for falling. And I say it is more, more,
(as thermals send the fearless wing
ever higher), for mine is that which
dreads
a push.
To slip with the idiocy of camera angles
—I snort.
To vault the chasm in harness
—I choke in faint.
Yet, shards of boulders wedge
into the foundations of my
gravitational center,
Earth
pierced from great height.
I fear firm hands to press,
send me reeling unbound
from this perch upon the mountain.
My trust.
They say fools build up from
sand, and I feel grit slide ‘neath soles,
once believers in boulder wisdom.
In visions, I see my head cracked,
sand finding a home within. Tis the shock
of Death, rushing at me from below, or
is it more the hurtling inversion?
It is the “you are dying,
despite your clear mind
despite your wild breath,
despite your tangling hair,
despite your screams hinged
on a countdown to silence.”
And time will stretch as I stretch
with gravity’s promise
but there won’t be time enough to think,
for to think means life,
and life should not be
stopping—
I tell my head: think for this time,
try to face the sky
and in this time that you hate for its thick creep
—t
h
i
n
k.
Think of God; the destination of your soul.
Think of those you leave behind
and the story unfolded in your absence
of your ultimate absence; think of your sadness
your rage in this sky, falling like glass
to explode upon the mountain’s shoulders
pierced and you to follow their lead;
realize you will not be recovered. See
your final resting place as blood and bone
and tragedy upon the Earth.
Think
and be at peace as it all just
finally
stops.
***
I originally published this over a month ago, but wanted to edit it a bit more. Sorry for any confusion!
About the Creator
Mackenzie Davis
“When you are describing a shape, or sound, or tint, don’t state the matter plainly, but put it in a hint. And learn to look at all things with a sort of mental squint.” Lewis Carroll
Find me elsewhere.
Copyright Mackenzie Davis.
Enjoyed the story? Support the Creator.
Subscribe for free to receive all their stories in your feed. You could also pledge your support or give them a one-off tip, letting them know you appreciate their work.
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
On-point and relevant
Writing reflected the title & theme
Eye opening
Niche topic & fresh perspectives
Keep reading
More stories from Mackenzie Davis and writers in Poets and other communities.
Llion the Brave Version 2
Her screams diminished as Llion was dragged away from the cell. The stench in the corridor was less but there was still damp, decay, defecation, death. His feet dragged, like a raggedy puppet, the guard either side of him holding him fast. He could feel their individual fingers digging into his scant flesh, leaving their impression on his bones.
By Rachel Deeming7 days ago in Fiction
Comments (24)
Oh my word. This is exquisite, Mackenzie! I stood on the northern rim of the Grand Canyon. No rails. No one around but my husband and I. I just relived that feeling from this piece. Bravo! Gorgeous work!
This is both exhilarating and terrifying. So well done.
I got vertigo reading this 😱
WOW! this was so deep and accurate in its ability to enthrall. The structure gave me the intended effect. That is not easy to accomplish but you did just that - accomplished a masterful piece. Thank you!
was both enjoyable and gave me slight anxiety haha, well done :)
This is absolutely sensational, Mackenzie! I felt so much while reading this - the fear, the exhilaration, the determination. Mesmerizing concept and structure. Breathtaking work! ❤️
I am so scared of heights but I love to climb...and this gave me that exhilarating sensation of climbing and that feeling of overcoming my fear to do so, so well crafted Mackenzie!!!
Isn't fear one of the most sincere emotions? You cannot fake it, you almost cannot control it. You are a great sculptor, Mackenzie!
I have no idea how I missed this! I'm so grateful that you wanted to edit it more! Your poem was just so mesmerising; your words and the form of the poem! Brilliant work!
I love the intentionality throughout this, from the word choice to the flow to the formatting. Excellently done!
Still love it.
Standing ovation! Powerful, emotionly raw and packed with stunning language and structure! missed this the first time round, so I'm glad you edited it! Well done, Mackenzie!
I am not afraid of heights, but I don't know why this made me feel so raw.
Wow, as someone who has no fear of heights this poem resonated with me in a different way. Beautifully written.
Ah, as the polish increases. I see why you're filing and buffing. Your process here is more like creating sculpture. Is this your final descision? ;) Beautiful, and cool to see your process.
OML: I reread this, stood on the cliff and felt my heart race in the face of magnificence. I imagined soaring, then plummeting and soaring again. I will return here, this cliff and your poem, which for me is transformational.
Soooo glad you edited because I missed this masterpiece the first round. I interpreted a metaphor, that the fall is deliberate, a suicide. The structure is unusual but it works. This is freaking awesome with its layers.
Mackenzie, as a journalist, I have always been flummoxed by poetry until a fellow Vocal contributor told me to feel it, not interpret it or apply it to what I see or know. This is such a beautiful piece, absolutely stunning because I did feel it. Thank you!!
I'm glad you edited this because I otherwise would not have seen it. This is beautiful! The imagery, the structure, everything. The last portion about pondering what exactly happens to us when we die and making peace with there very likely being nothing but ceasing to exist...just so well done.
Mackenzie, this is a soulful message fused with brilliant Word Art. I could feel all of it. 💙✍️👏💙
This is so well done. It perfectly captures the fear of falling with the unexplainable urge to jump. Loved it.
Incredibly poetic, vividly described, much as I have thought of falling & embracing the thrill & inevitability.
This is Outstanding with Deep meaning 👍❤️💯😉Thanks for sharing 💥📝❗❗
F**king brilliant! (excuse me...) I'm really afraid of heights and paradoxically very fond of mountain-scapes. You really get to the bottom of things. All there is to be said. You're on a roll tonight :)