Poem for Sunday: 'The Mountain Beckons'

Cameron Manson's poem, 'The Mountain Beckons', was a finalist in the 2014 Leonardo Poetry Competition.

Treading onto the gondola,
It feels to me at this moment
It is just the mountains and I.
The hopeful sun is rising wearily,
Malevolent ice grinning deviously.

Looking out of the frosty suspended cabin,
Ice gradually creeps across the glass
Like a spider tracing its web,
Insulated and isolated from the natural noise,
My anticipation is intensifying.

A lone cloud drifts high,
Seemingly in time with our arrival.
I feel the snow's calming, cooling presence.
Deep and freshly fallen,
It swallows my fears.

Twisting and travelling through the trees,
Mountainous birds flirtatiously play,
Sounding their joys of freedom.
By this time the sun is blazing,
Enchanting the curious.

As silent as nature can possibly be,
The smell of pine and clean air
Overwhelms my nostalgic sense.
You are the Picasso, the snow a blank canvas,
To paint with whatever adventures you choose.

There will be dozens
Of places
That take your
Breath away -
But the one
That reminds you
To breathe
Is the place
You should stay.