Rock Climber's Song (An Answer For Alan) (dedicated to the guy who taught me to climb so many years ago) Someday I'll tell you what it's worth, In words you'll understand, To rest above this weary earth And take the sky in hand, To find a path upon a wall Where only lizards walk, To follow up a heart-high call: The piping of a hawk. Someday I'll tell you what it cost To take that upward step, And how I measure what was lost Compared to what was kept. For there were walls within my mind, Security inside. I had to leave myself behind And trust a different guide. Someday I'll tell you what was won, Though first I failed the test: The finding that the path begun Leads to the larger quest. So now I dream, and dreaming go, Where only shadows drift, But someday soon my feet will know The route upon the cliff.