Mandy Schiffrin – “Aconcagua”

Aconcagua

I’ve been beyond Puente del Inca
in the foothills of my dreams.
I’ve trekked to base camp
through the icy panes of January.

I’ve bitten the cold, and
I’ve heard the dry snow crunch of boots.
I’ve hired the mules, and
shared the woolly, asinine urge to climb.

I’ve crouched round fires with strangers, and
eaten reconstituted, freeze-dried food.
I’ve felt the needles in my feet, and
in my eyes, fluttering red-rimmed flakes.

I’ve endured the sickness of heights, and
fathomed my own bottomless limits.
I’ve struggled for each breath, and
wanted to give up and go home.

I’ve camped in the condor’s nest, and
watched my heart soar in the dawn
over the cloud peaks and glaciers.
I’ve reached the pinnacle of the Americas!

And woken up, footsore.

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Mandy Schiffrin is half-British, half-Argentinian, and lives in Amstelveen in the Netherlands (just south of Amsterdam). Obviously, there’s a story in that sentence. She is (was – Ed!) an as-yet-unpublished poet and writer – which means she hasn’t given up the day job.