Sunrise

Friend, this Peak you face is high and the climb is brutal.
When you look up, you will see darkness; when you look down, you will see darkness – I won’t lie to you.
Yes, you know this is a long, dark, cold night,
and you feel each step, each breath, is a fight.
I won’t lie to you, my friend.

You will continue the climb in these conditions, harsh, unforgiving, painful.
You will continue because you want to see.
You will continue because you have to.

Friend, when your last reserves’ last reserves have been depleted,
you will turn inward and find coldness;
you will turn outward and find coldness.
I won’t lie to you.

Listen closely, my friend, to what will happen next:
First you will feel, then you will see.
Slowly, the cold, the dark, the timelessness will be erased.
Life will become vivid and warm again.
Friend, your reserves will be restored, you will be restored.
I won’t lie to you, you will not know how to speak of your experience.
For those who have faced the Peak, it is called the Sunrise.