I ask you:
Do you remember where you were…
When Lady Diana died?
When the planes toppled the Twin Towers?
When Americans stormed the Capitol?
When you had your first romantic kiss?
I ask you:
Do you remember where were you when the rains came,
More rain in twenty-four hours than
British Columbia normally sees in two months,
That took out a bridge on Highway 5,
Caused landslides that blocked Highway 3,
That destroyed a portion of the Malahat,
Closed the highways,
Virtually isolating Vancouver Island,
Causing shortages of goods,
And gas stations to run dry?
You laugh.
You know I already know the answer.
You were with me that day,
Climbing Mount Provost.
You said you’d never been to the summit,
So, we went climbing in the rain,
Oblivious to what was about to happen across the province.
It had rained all night.
How you struggled, you said,
To drag yourself from the warmth
Of your blankety cocoon.
Sheesh, who hikes in the pouring rain?
Hikers do. That’s who.
The rain was relentless,
And many times, during the ascent,
I worried that the weather would shatter your resolve.
It was the constant profanity, you see.
But you said not to worry.
I won’t quit. It’s my nature to bitch when it’s raining.
At the crux of the climb,
A short cliff, helpfully outfitted with a fixed rope,
A spot I had warned you about,
And that you thought might thwart you.
You didn’t hesitate for even a fraction of a second.
You just grabbed the slick rope,
And with determination, you climbed,
One hand on the rope, the other on the rock.
At the summit,
You huddled against the Veterans’ Memorial,
Still in the rain, but out of the wind.
In your photo,
You look like you are standing under a waterfall.
But there is immense satisfaction in your eyes
And in your smile.
A difficult goal accomplished.
There was no view from the top,
But in the moment, as if by magic,
The clouds cleared for maybe ten seconds,
Exposing the Cowichan Valley below.
A reward, then nothing,
Just a view of the cliff’s edge against a white abyss,
As if we had walked to the edge of the earth.
On the descent,
The profanity continued.
I know, I know,
It’s your nature to bitch when it’s raining.