Mountain

Four walls of cinder blocks with a door framed in one

That door is usually shut

I live the responsibilities of someone else’s life

They profit

I lose

They say it’s a blessing to live in four walls of cinder block

The walls close in and pressurize the air, it pops my eardrums

Since I can’t hear, I can’t decipher lies or truth

The door shrinks

I become a cave crawler

Death doesn’t seem to want to be a cave crawler

Stan the mountain hermit, Kimberly the mountain hound

They don’t know what cinder block walls are

Their cabin is made of logs

They climb their mountain every night

Stan is drunk off Czech beer

Kimberly is high off being warm in the frigid air, her coat is thick

Stan’s coat is thin, the beer warms him instead

They travel up the mountain road to the research antenna on its peak

The sky reveals the Milky Way and northern lights in the distance

Stan and Kimberly find a shovel at the base of the research antenna

Stan grabs it, Kimberly roams the peak staying within shouting distance from Stan

Stan turns to his left and spots two people standing on frozen rock on his mountain peak

They were staring at the Milky Way and northern lights

Kimberly smells the people and approaches

The people are holding each other

Kimberly smells love

Stan sees love, even though his mind hasn’t been right in many years

Stan walks toward the couple, the couple breaks the embrace

Stan says, “Kimberly, my lord and savior of my mountain, my love”

Stan says, “you two, look at the burning bush”

He points to a bare bush that’s chest high at the base of the research antenna. It has beer cans hanging on its branches

It doesn’t move, it doesn’t burn, it only burns in Stan’s mind

Stan and Kimberly’s burning bush says to them, and only them, to ask the couple this

“Tear down your walls”

The couple responds, “we cant”

“Well, dig yourselves out”

Stans throws the shovel to the couples feet

“Kimberly, my lord and savior, lets go home”

-1/29/2026