shravanabelagola
a few years back;
the hill surrounded by a town, a lake, a few more:
am on this step
just a step
some step
tired, unstable with vertigo
the laborious climb,
thirsty ...
no count of the numbers I left behind
nor the ones to the top
the monolith beckons
the palki seems the easy way
someone else carrying my pain and his
the knees give up.
for now this step is-
acceptance, acknowledgement, joy, achievement
and beauty.
the pain a score of
the hills i can count,
the wind i can breathe
the happiness of my weak knees when they rest
the summit and the monolith
shall wait
till this moment has decided to give way to its next view