Life claws its way upward

Through hard ground

Gnaws its way upward

Through the flesh and bones of other animals

Cuts its way upward

Through forest and wood

Digs its way upward

Through sand and stone

Burns its way upward

Melting pathways through the world

Builds its way upward

Wood and glass and stone and metal

All so that we can stand for a moment

At the top of the world

Until something beneath us breaks free