To be near to you
I begin the ascent
Of your mountain
At daylight.
The summit is shrouded
In clouds
Of my own disbelief.
For me
You are a Mandarin goddess.
I can see the subtleties
Of your eminence
In the painted porcelain rocks
And clean brightness of the upward path.
Continuing into the sky,
I can hear the softly dying
Chords of your creation.
As I come near,
I am afraid.
And earthly man
With simple wants
And simpler needs
I have nothing to offer you
But the best of my life
Which I have to share...
The dirt beneath my nails,
The hot summer sun,
And the coldness of winter dawn.