Half a lifetime ago, I climbed Mt. Fuji, but I didn’t make it all the way to the top
Thinking back, it’s silly really, why I had to stop
I got up early, to take the bus from Yokosuka’s Navy base
To join a few shipmates, who invited me to take somebody else’s place
But nobody showed up for the 4am bus, so I went all alone!
I realized, after rushing to get there, that I forgot my wallet AND phone!
All I had was my ticket, a jacket, and a few hundred yen
When I arrived, I spent all of the money that I had, just to check in!
They gave me a map and a walking stick, but I couldn’t buy any water to quench my thirst
Half way up the mountain, I couldn’t decide which was worse
Watching groups of older folks, easily passing me by
Or the fact that I couldn’t catch my breath, because we were up so high!
The terrain of the mountain side, was like fine black sand
As I checked into the next station, they marked my walking stick with another kanji brand
They had oxygen, water and food for sale, but again, I had no money left
So I just meditated and took a few deep breaths
And tried to psych myself out, by pounding on my chest!
When I made it up to the next station, I was dizzy and breathing like I had almost drowned!
A guide spoke to me (in Japanese), and basically said, ‘You need to take your tired a$$ back down!’
I was so thirsty, but there weren’t any drinking fountains
So I slowly made my way back down, the world’s 35th tallest mountain (12,388 feet)
It was suddenly covered with a dense fog/mist
I was glad that I had made the trip
But honestly, I was so pissed
That I left my phone and wallet back on the ship!
But then half way down the mountain, I remembered this…
I had a disposable camera in the pocket of my jacket
So I asked an old lady (in the limited Japanese that I knew) if I posed for a picture, would she snap it?
She did
And here it is!
WarriorCarryingWater
 172900 5
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
Books Written By Poet
On Climbing Mt. Fuji
CATEGORY
life
You must be registered to leave a comment. Registration is FREE.
COMMENTS
|
mlowe5 says: Cutely captivating. I actually enjoyed the climb. Thanks. Peace and Love.poems by this commentor
Allegorically Speaking...
|
||
|
|
WarriorCarryingWater says: Thanks mlowe5! Congrats on making the climb, I hope to try again soon! |
||
|
|
mlowe5 says: Hurry up! I just turned 80! Peace and Love. |
OTHER POEMS WRITTEN BY WarriorCarryingWater
Thanksgiving is the celebration of Pilgrims killing the Wampanoag peopleIf you have hair that can defy gravity Why not just let it be? If your history lies about our reality Why not acknowledge the fallacy? If your beliefs subjugate the global majority Why don’t we all challenge their fake authority? If Thanksgiving is the celebration of Pilgrims killing the Wampanoag people What makes you think, that they think, you and them are 'equal?' If money and power is just fiction Then why don’t we just write a new description?  |
Love is war!I have been with my spouse for over 25 years The key to our union is a delicate balance of expectations and fears We have been in a constant state of conflict since the day we first met Courtship is a battle, full of wins, losses, and regret Comprise, doing and saying things against our will Administering a tail of potions and poisons by elixir or pill Daily battles make up wars, decades in length No matter the reason, limit compromise and negotiate from a position of strength! Sharing a bed is a tug of war of pillows and sheets Silent struggles, the loser is the one who first speaks! The best advice that I can share, regarding the cause of the most common marital strain Is to declare war on the thermostat, I know it might sound insane! But chances are that you and your most significant boo Can never agree on exactly what to... |
Where I am versus my desire’s dreamFail to succeed Replace want with need Success has an expensive fee A result of thousands of mistakes Joy is brief, disappointment may replace Give and take, sacrifice, rewards, envy, hate Impossible is everywhere and answers arrive late Where I am versus my desire’s dream May as well be somewhere in between Distant galaxies and an inch within my grasp Decades wasted and some wrong decisions in the past Carved in stone, but now time moves by so fast... Lessons learned, but mistakes still take place Seasons change, gray hair and wrinkles changed my face |
‘White Bread’ enough is enough!What math was used to build Africa’s pyramids? 1,000 years before ‘Pythagorean’s theorem,’ is Western, math and other facts just one big old lie? Were all Native Americas supposed to die, were all African slaves just happy to work for free, hell is water even dry? If some of our ‘knowledge’ is fiction, and most of the ‘truth’ a deception Then my reality is twisted, and I disrespectfully demand an exception! I refuse to participate in this madness any longer, the ruse is up The global majority has the numbers, the will, and power, ‘White Bread’, enough is enough! |
Hip Hop in middle age…I’m getting old, but not quite 50 When my rage explodes Transform like Bill Bixby Hulkin’ out So big and green That I ripped my jeans But I doubt that most will even get that reference From old tv shows I suppose I was the same When the former generation Would claim disdain And a lack of respect From all of these little whipper snappers Living with no regret Responsibilities, fears, or plans for the future Writing checks and spending cash that their asses ain't even earned yet! No mortgages, wars, discrimination, and pain They no longer fight the power, rather seek out to claim Mere fortune and fame Making videos, asking strangers to subscribe and like Their opinions and comments, every hour of the day and night ... |
Black HairHair that can defy gravity Coils that wave and crest like the sea Plats and twists that shine automatically Amazed at how magical it can be! |
50 WordsInspire, caution, embarrass, retaliate Explain, complain, love, hate Pray, declare, war, peace Buy, sell, rent, lease Discriminate, educate, learn, ignore Glass, ceiling, window, door Open, close, invite, dismiss Judge, ignore, ignorance, bliss Walls, doors, bars, freedom Vote, platform, speech, lead them History, change, future, past Present, danger, ignite, fuse, blast |
Chat-GPT is writing raps?I’m getting old but not quite 50 When my rage explodes Transform like Bill Bixby Hulkin’ out So big and green I rip my jeans But I doubt Most even get the reference From old tv shows I suppose I was the same When the former generation Would claim disdain And a lack of respect From all of 'these little whipper snappers' Living with no regret Responsibilities, fears, or plans for the future Writing checks And spending cash that their asses haven’t earned yet No mortgages, wars, discrimination, and pain They no longer fight the power, rather seek to claim Mere fortune and fame Making videos, asking strangers to subscribe and like Sharing their opinions and comments every day and night Do... |
Gender ApartheidThe Taliban’s rule in Afghanistan since 2021 Is an abomination and must be undone When America ended its war, millions of women lost their freedom The UN continues to demand equality, but Afghanistan won’t even heed them! Today it is illegal for an Afghan woman’s voice to heard in public by a man Under the rule of law, established by the Taliban As Mullahs mandate this kind of oppression, we’re so apathetic and naive To think that this ideology won’t spread worldwide, and in time fester and breed Into the consciousness of the world, like slavery, technology and fast food Ignorance, convenience, and control can be so addictive, swift and crude As a Black American, I speak English and believe in Christianity Our African ancestors probably consider our reality an insanity! 500 years ago, they didn’t fo... |
Selling books in the rain, in HarlemOne of a hundred vendors in Harlem, waking in rain I didn’t sell anything today, but I didn’t complain A writer lives in a spectrum of optimistic extremes Believing that almost anything is possible, writing our hopes and selling our dreams! A few yard from me, an author of a financial literacy book did not despair When the wind blew and dumped buckets of rain water on her hair The children’s book writer didn’t fret When her tent fell over and her inventory got all wet! We left the Harlem Book Fair this summer without making a single sell! As I pulled my cart of books past the Apollo theater, large rain drops fell In between two famous musicians, my wheels somehow locked up! By Michael Jackson and Ella Fitzgerald, I chucked at my luck Perhaps the greats were just sending me a message, not to giv... |