Watercolor on Paper
Original Art
38" x 30" White Matte w/Black Frame
 
Prices are negotiable on original art. 
 
Text:
 
Pulll the Next One Up 
 by poet Marc Kelly Smith 
 
When you get to the top of the mountain 
Pull the next one up. 
Then there'll be two of you
Roped together at the waist
Tired and proud, knowing the mountain, 
Knowing the human force it took
To bring both of you there.
 
And when the second one has finished 
Taking in the view, 
Satisfied by the heat and perspiration under the wool, 
Let her pull the next one up; 
Man or woman, climber of mountains. 
Pull the next hand over
The last jagged rock
To become three.
Two showing what they've already seen. 
And one knowing now the well being with being 
Finished with one mountain, 
With being able to look out a long way 
Toward other mountains. 
Feeling a temptation to claim victory 
As if mountains were human toys to own.
 
When you ask how high is this mountain 
With a compulsion to know 
Where you stand in relationship to other peaks, 
Look down to wherefrom you came up 
And see the rope that's tied to your waist 
Tied to the next man's waist, 
Tied to the next woman's waist, 
Tied to the first man's waist, 
To the first woman's waist 
...and pull the rope!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Never mind the flags you see flapping on conquered pinnacles.
Don't waste time scratching inscriptions into the monolith.
You are the stone itself. 
And each man, each woman up the mountain, 
Each breath exhaled at the peak, 
Each glad-I-made-it ...here's-my-hand, 
Each heartbeat wrapped around the hot skin of the sun-bright sky, 
Each noise panted or cracked with laughter 
Each embrace, each cloud that holds everyone in momentary doubt...
All these inscriptions of a human force that can
Conquer conquering hand over hand   pulling the rope 
Next man up, next woman up 
Sharing a place, sharing a vision.
Room enough for all on all the mountain peaks.
Force enough for all 
 
To hold all the hanging bodies 
Dangling in the deep recesses of the mountains belly 
Steady until they have the courage...
Until they know the courage...
Until they understand 
That the only courage there is is 
To pull the next man up 
Pull the next woman up 
Pull the next up... Up... Up.