"Gaunt"

It's like flying up a mountain
Made of air and not the Earth
And getting to what's supposed to be the top
Cresting
Trying to catch that first glimpse that's every postcard photographer's dream
And wishing you were somewhere floating in space
Because here on Earth
Everyone can hear you scream

At ground level even a small hand patting in the sand is audible
And isn't it awful to know
Hands the size of bear claws
That everyone else knows what's going on?

Hiking and traversing
And holding in curses 'cause you know
Or you think you know
That the worse has come and gone
You've got your game face on
Good
Because we've only just begun

And now you've begun unleashing that shout that dwells within
And you can feel it before you hear it
Little bumps upon your skin
And your skin is crawling faster than you can try to climb
When you ascend again
Because no one cares to hear your screams
It doesn't matter to them

And of course you worry
You worry every time you try to start up once more
Wonder if these limbs can do exactly what they're good for
Not go limp and flail around like no one wants
Not go South and break and bend
And you feel so gaunt

You feel so grave
So spent
Like a famine came and went
Though you thought you had the finest feast you've ever--
Well, what you meant to say is
You thought you'd reached your peak
So superfluous
A nirvana so profound
But so obvious in your discontent
That even the ants upon the ground
Try to become deaf when you speak