We came to the ice wall
in gale winds,
a forty-degree slab
glistened in our way.

Scree stung our faces,
beards frozen with snot,
we wondered if anything
sacred even existed
in this Godforsaken place.

Six-hundred meters
of free fall was behind us
to rock bottom, time
was growing short,
we had to move quickly,
before we froze our ***** off,
literally.

So there we went...
straight up the wall,
swinging our axes
like wild men
with clubs.

*****
*****
ka-*****.
*****
*****
ka-*****.
*****
*****
k­a-*****.
*****
*****
ka-*****.
*****
*****.

Breath.
Ahhhhh.
Brea­th.
Ahhhh.
Breath.
Ahh.

Whew,
thank God for
these ninety-dollar crampons,
we couldn't have done this
without them.