Poem: Climb

She climbs
Hand over hand,  ascends
Until she can look down on all of us seated below
Where we are transfixed by beauty and dexterity
By tenacity and uncanny ability
There are plenty of things to rise above
And there’s plenty of adversity to overcome
Memories of dead eyes and heartbreak
Stereotypes she can’t shake
Aberrant thoughts that her brain makes
Medication that over sedates
Unscrupulous men begging for dates
But she finds the strength to rise above
Follows her dreams and loves
Digging down deep inside
She steers the ship against the tide
And we see her dance
We watch her glide
She climbs