You Must

You  must be mountain,
Made  of rock and stone,
Bleak, bare bone, bulky
Roots must  thrust through earth
To  keep you fixed, and a
Neck  to stretch and touch
The  very stars; you must
Exist on the roof of the world,
Ungainly made  of flint
Assaulted by all the
Elements have to give; you
Must  survive without the
Stress of fault lines simmering,
Survive the freezing
Ice of your polar world,
Swear  at your foes, breathe
Without  air, live in silence,
Keep  fear at the core well-
Compressed  by your weight;
You  must landslide to keep
Climbers at bay, use your
Best defence to keep them
From  chipping
Pieces of you away.
You  must be mountain -
Stay impassive,
Impassable, massive,
Stare coldly down the
Bleak light of day.

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