From This Mountain’s Crest

One day you will stand on a ridge of your own making
The wind wrapping your shoulders like a cloak
And when you look back, the road will unfurl behind you
A ribbon of sunlight and shadow
Twisting through valleys you once thought endless
Over peaks you once doubted you could climb

You will see the stones you tripped on
Now smoothed by the river of your passage
The storms that soaked you through
Now painting rainbows across the horizon
The nights that felt longer than time itself
Now holding constellations you had to grow into seeing

Every pause, every slow and halting step
Will gleam like a bead on the thread of your story
Proof that progress was never the rush of the sprint
But the heartbeat that kept you moving
Even when the path was narrow and steep
Even when the summit was still unseen

You will remember the days you wanted to turn back
And smile at the truth that you didn’t
The places you thought were endings
Will be revealed as doorways
And the moments you thought you were lost
Will be the ones that taught you how to navigate

From here, the world will stretch in every direction
Vast and open, waiting for your next journey
But for now, you will stand in the golden air
Breathing the view you have earned
Knowing you have been both the traveler and the trail
And every step was worth the climb