Sonnet

Climbing the Great Wall

When hiking on a cloudy, windy day,
Careful steps one-by-one, avoiding falls.
Glued with rice and mud, dried in the sun's rays,
Slippery stones, the backbone of the Wall.
Trying to keep balanced, lunging forward,
I trip and stretch for the metal railing.
Pulling myself up from looking awkward,
I learn to move with the wind like sailing.
Twist and turns curving around and around.
Steep steps up to heaven and down to Earth.
Body shivers seeking warmth from the ground.
Legs shake, some moan, snot drips and little mirth.
From up high we see the wall far and wide,
A dragon dancing on the mountainside.

Chinese Mountains