The Ascent

Grab hold,

And take this hand that

Reaches out to you.

Look up

Into my eyes;

My spirit

Cries out to you;

Friendship is my thought.

Let us climb

The jagged cliffs of life

And fight the ascent of

Opposition together.

If I can lift you today,

You will look back

And grab the hands of a thousand more.

That is the way

The Great Spirit would have it!

-Howard Rainer, American Indian Poet