Atop the Mountain

By: Hannah Zhang

You trudge up the grueling trail

Along the steep hill,

And as you look up

It’s as if there is no end in sight

Suddenly

A leaf pops out from behind the hill;

You feel your spirits rising.

Finally

You will end up on top

You put one foot in front of another,

Determined to admire

The rest of the elegant tree

Before daybreak

You lose count of your steps

And you gasp for breath

As you run past everyone else

You move higher

And the landscapes below you widen

Soon

You catch more glimpses of the magnificent tree.

‘I am near the top,’

You think

As the first streaks of Sun

Grace the surface of the Earth

Gently,

You are only a few steps

Away from standing atop the mountain

You pause

And take the last step

A river stretches before you;

‘The color of the water,’

You think,

‘Would adorn that tree’

You turn and run

With the breeze trailing behind you

Towards the beautiful tree

Except

There is nothing in sight

But a simple

unadorned

Brush