Frosty Mountain

Frosty Mountain
For Sarah
　
Diamonds crashing under hoof
As I went out a-riding,
Sparkling gems of life and ice
And secrets left in hiding.
The stirrups and the cantle creaking
As up the ridge I onward go
Towards the heavens and the sky,
Not to hell below.
Sparkling pendants of radiant light
Hung from tree and rock and ledge,
Bits of glass and gem and star
Bringing memories up to dredge.
Thoughts of wonder in a young boy’s eyes,Foaling in the winter chill,
Cradling that colt’s head in your lap,
Holding on to the thrill.
Specks of stardust lodged on my coat,
Little rays of fire.
Of the snow and sparkle and shine
I know I’ll never tire.
Puffs of breath on bitter air,
White clouds of sweet ambition,
Loving the outdoors and the cold,
Not before a fire wishin’.
Up into the canyon
Past the trees of evergreen,
Focus on the still and beauty,
Not the problems in between.
The eagle circles wild and free
While my soul soars up as well,
Flying on skies of hope
And stories left to tell.
My gray gelding breaks a track,
Unwavering in his trust,
The colt I foaled so long ago
And love him I simply must.
Sweet solitude and sanctuary,
Released in nature my feelings,
No judgment or audience watching
While my soul continues healing.
Past the frozen falls I ride
And past the Indian sites.
Far past the small log cabin
And on into the night.
I pause beside a frozen stream
And break ice for the gray to drink.
I ponder my reflection in the cool
And sit back and begin to think.
How does man compare
To the sublime grandeur of nature?
How do we think we know it all
When really we’re ignorant creatures?
Back in the saddle and still I ride,
Double-cinched in front and back.
The mountains can be a treacherous place,
Even an entombing trap.
But me, I’d rather die here in the mountains
Than work at a desk for all my life.
I’d rather be killed breaking a horse
Than for twenty dollars stabbed with a knife.
What’s the point of livin’
In a sick existence for a man?
You can never dream too late
If you choose to take a stand.
The trees around me stand
And arch their backs to the wind.
Like a tree my dreams will stand
And like a mountain will not bend.
Now these diamonds crashing under hoof
And I am still a-riding
Up this frosty mountain,
No more secrets left in hiding.