Poetspeak: a self-reflection
by CHRISTINE KLOCEK-LIM
| Poem: | Winter Hike | |
| Published in: | November Sky |
Winter Hike arose from an act of profound foolishness on a spring day in March 1992. My husband and I drove to northwest New Jersey to hike Mt. Tammany, a mountain that sits above a gorge carved by the Delaware River on the north side of Interstate 80.
We packed ham sandwiches and a bag of goldfish crackers. In the mild weather, my husband wore no gloves and my trench coat kept me warm when we stopped for lunch just as the snow began. The sun beamed while we ate, then the snow fell thicker and we continued up-trail. My husband's hands grew red, then white as the temperature dropped. Once we realized we'd drifted off course we stopped and found ourselves only a few feet away from a sheer cliff. Beneath us, clouds parted and merged as the snow squalled through the gorge below, silvering the Delaware River. We'd nearly seen the edge too late.
By the time we began our descent, a lack of rope, suitable clothing, and the steepness of the iced rocks made the hike treacherous. Still, after several plodding hours and a few terrifying slides, we reached the sanctuary of the car and its heater. After this, one might think I would never again walkabout in the winter, but I often go when snow falls and the woods are huddled beneath a layer of cold. I cherish the risk of venturing out in search of something spectacular, though when I sat down with my pencil and words, I thought about hypothermia. I considered how close my husband came to frostbite. The grim nature of the experience seemed obvious but I didn't feel as though I'd done the wrong thing.
Winter Hike is about risk. It's perilous to climb a mountain; more so in winter. And relationships are frightening because it's dangerous to trust another person with your heart. The poem's climb up the mountain uses obvious hazards as a vehicle to explicate the risks inherent in committing to another person. The snow and cold, the height of a cliff, the fear of losing one's way explains how the speaker feels about the relationship. One might ask, then, why bother? But in the poem, there is also excitement. The speaker's companion celebrates the very things that are most frightening. This exerts a pull and encourages a climb to the edge in dangerous weather. What's at the top?
I believe that's why people climb mountains. It's why we fall in love and risk ourselves physically and emotionally. "What if?" is a natural question. What if your lover is sanctuary? How can we refuse the hike if that's what waits, along with an amazing view and the frightening weather? Snow can be serene as well as scary. This is a poem about how someone might start a journey toward commitment in the midst of danger and physical discomfort. As the gravity of the situation becomes apparent to the speaker, the need to choose safety or risk becomes important. Excitement, fear, exhilaration, and fulfillment walk together in our lives, and appear on the top of a mountain in winter. These are the feelings from which the world's great love affairs are made.
And here is a link to a site about the mountain if you'd like to take a look: Delaware Water Gap - Mount Tammany.
Christine Klocek-Lim was born in the coal-mining region of northeastern
Pennsylvania.
She received a BA in professional writing from Carnegie
Mellon and worked
as a technical writer in Manhattan. This exposure
to both industry and
nature and her awareness of northeastern
American life shapes
her poetry and photography.