I don’t need

to scale Everest

to know how difficult

it would be

to take each step,

to go

and place my tiny feet

in the

crisp white snow

and icy domain

and not fall to my death.

 

I don’t need

to swim the Atlantic

from the steps

of Cornish past

to the shore of New Jersey

and sit breathless

on the jetty and water weeds

of Benny’s Landing

to know how

take in a lung full of salt and knotted