WEARINESS TURNING TO EXUBERANCE

Rev. Roy Greenwood

An old photograph can alert
The memory
Bringing the subject vibrating to life.

Half a century and a little more
Cannot
Erase the emotions my mind has recorded.

The photograph before me was taken
On the
Rim of Bhyunder Khal.

A veneer of ice covers snow slopes bending
towards
an unseen valley cloaked in damp mist,

Ascending Bhyunder Khal beneath the sheer flank of
Rataban
Became for me, weariness.

For six weeks I had almost leapt as a
bharal
Climbing, walking, delighting in all I saw.

Now, strength and stamina were at a
Low ebb
Too slowly, the distant Khal came closer.

Rejoining my resting companions
Brought
A relaxing moment of bliss.
We began the descent into
Nothingness
Picking our way over broken ground.

Patches of snow eased our passage
Boulders
Blocked a direct line.

Clumps of grass began to appear
Twisted
Shrubs sprawled in our path.

Although mist still held heavy around us
Birdsong
Began to penetrate the silence.

Tufted grass became more frequent
Spreading

Like an unkempt lawn on either side.
The greyness about us was brightened by groups of
Primula, anemonies,
Fritillaries, expanding to from a solid carpet.

My tired legs were enlivened as they
Brushed
Lush growth of ferns and many flowers.

We descended lower and further into the
Valley of Flowers
Decking our hats with a multi-coloured posy.

Suddenly, the mist evaporated revealing clear
Streams
Banked by the greenest of grass.

Lower slopes of unseen peaks were
Cluttered
With fallen rock and boulders.

Damp leaves of rhododendrons
Shone
Reflecting brightness of their blooms.

Weariness gave place to exuberance as we
Plunged
Deeper into the wider luxuriant before us.

Loads were loosened from our backs as an
Idyllic
Camping place presented itself.

The gentle light of evening lifted remaining
Wisps
Of cloud, uncovering spectacular surrounding peaks.

Nightfall brought countless stars
Almost
Within reach in their nearness and brilliance.

The photograph evoking these memories
Brought
Renewed gratitude for such experiences remembered.

Our legs had walked, climbed, carried us
To heights
Brought us into valleys.

We were invigorated, awed, by what we had
Seen.
We had overcome cold that pierced us; heat and altitude
That sapped us.
We were as pilgrims-dwarfs-in a gigantic
Land.

 

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