Two stairs down from landing
Sister and I safe
Neither half up, or halfway..
Hill/Mountainside braced against icy
Gust Mam/Dad below igneous lava erupt at each other two hills supported us till now
Silence, lounge door opens Mam climbs
Stairs/hill/mountainside, and as she speaks ice encrusts solid rock expands
Rock falls away making valley sides
Sister and I stand on Striding Edge razorback, serrated edge five years later
Cold mist, prevailing wind, ice brings wet eyes
Skyblue Flying Monks Air Venture Scout Sweatshirts, black M superimposed over black F. bird of prey with divorced Dad hiking Helvellyn, sandstone step gingerly damp slips hands/boots, Kevin Keegan Afro black sheep fleece flops side to side
hiking boot midair, sharp intake, drop down to Red Tarn somewhere in mist,
Somewhere in mist Sisters/Dads hand.
Manoeuvre frozen legs, up, over, round,
Shifting from one side edge to the other,
Weeks with Mam, Weekends Dad,
Careful what you say, interrogation from both. Mist clears enough for summit sight. Time away at college. Focus. Careful to have three rock holds. Focus. Remember once summit reached always another higher later. My hands support Sister/Dad/Mam when sides fall away.
geology
Stone 1: Malham Cove
Aged 14, geography trip Malham Cove trip , as dry stone wall settles on the ground it strengthens itself and tightens up, stone language, harsh Millstone Grit to soft Limestone once coach underwater diving a new world, breathe easier
Gordale Scar, no bullying scar hurt glorious edge dried waterfall, hike to Tarn, not Barnsley Tarn, Malham Tarn, buildings rare, no pubs, no roads, no red brick terraces here, only water. Water coursing
Clints/grykes, pavement lacking bins, lampposts, Zebra crossings. Water work
Underground, hidden rivers reverberated in me as memory then history. I took it back as new dialect.
The Wombwell Rainbow 