The Mountain Waits

I head east. It's still dark, but not for much longer. A wind kicked up around midnight. Chimes told me it was time to move, to rise and meet the day that was so new it was dripping with afterbirth. I was wide awake and fed the cat before going out and down to the river. Now I push into the wind. It feels good, this place of peace before the workday begins. I don't yet know who this person is, the one who steps forward into some unknown way of being. I trust him though. He extends a hand and says, come, it will be alright. Have no fear. I will join him soon enough. I have things to do after after the light comes, but, for now, I am free to just roll toward the big mountain, the one that disgorges the moon, launches the sun, is the source and home of wild things. I won't get there today. Phone calls, emails, inmates, and students all rely on me for now. I will turn around when the sky begins to glow. I ask for the courage to keep going, to finish strong.