On dread's foul step
I paused to catch my breath.
The climbing, the toil
Had no end but my own.
I stopped there-
On that millionth step
To take in the air.
The brick and marble were cold to the touch,
But the sun warmed my skin
My back, my weary head,
The light shone down on me there.
The grass and greenery of potted plants
Stacked along the steps
In marching columns down the middle
As a road splits in half.
And as I ruminated and brooded
My mind went to simpler things
Of pleasant walks, of morning air,
Of gold and treasure,
Of a mind unweighed.
And as I meditated and breathed in
Enlightenment whispered in my ear
For those stairs climbed high
Up on dread's step
But there the end, as mysterious as the beginning,
Seemed similar looking both ways.
I gathered my things, and I began again
Walking down from dread's step.
My mind weighed heavy, my feet were sore.
But the journey's end came near-
I climbed down from dread's step
To find a place of comfort below.
With grass and greenery uncontained,
Where solace and virtue, and wisdom's good grace
May have led me long before.