The Top | Teen Ink

The Top

June 2, 2009
By imperfection GOLD, Gilroy, California
imperfection GOLD, Gilroy, California
17 articles 9 photos 45 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Dream as though you'll live forever, live as though you'll die today."
~James Dean (1931-1955), American Motion Picture Actor, symbol of rebellion


The sky is gray with thunder
The clouds are curling in
A flash of lightning lights up the steep cliffs
Water spurts off the mountain like a clogged hose

The ground is damp and rocky
The river thrashes and roars
The top of the waterfall towers
Intimidating, in – your – face

The mist begins to thicken
Cold water begins to spray
Slipping and sliding on steep stone stairs
Narrowly missing the dangerous drop

Plastic bags and ponchoes are the style up here
Soaked to the bone, dripping hair
The towering rock I once saw
Now only steps away

The top! The top!
Water gushes over the edge
We see colored ants swarming at the bottom
We’re not even visible to the ground

Realization smacks us in the face
As the wind begins to roar
We made it up, we just have to go
All the way back down

We slip and slide
Slimy rocks are the railing
Droplets are tumbling down
Blinded by pouring rain and crashing water

Walking through a cascade of rainfall
It’s impossible to keep dry
Water pours into your shoes
We are wading through multiple puddles

More than half of the group is still coming
The rain ceases to pour
The end of the trail, the bottom of the mountain
Drenched, but alive



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This article has 12 comments.


on Mar. 30 at 6:07 pm
SunnySkies GOLD, Cleveland, Tennessee
19 articles 2 photos 20 comments

Favorite Quote:
Cheer up my brother live in the sunshine, we'll understand it, all by and by.

Cool- is honestly all I have to say...it's just so good.

on Jun. 13 2023 at 3:25 pm
joonyorigami GOLD, Krasnaya Sloboda, Other
10 articles 0 photos 1 comment

Favorite Quote:
Maybe you'd be happier slipping into the crowd and then, I dunno, dropping dead?

wow! this is an amazing verse!

on Jan. 24 2022 at 4:17 pm
Savannahk946 SILVER, Oshkosh, Wisconsin
9 articles 2 photos 20 comments

Favorite Quote:
Poetry is not meant to be read with the eyes but to be read with an elegant soul. Not to be thought about with your head but with a powerful heart.
- Savannah Kealey

Wow this is so deep! love it!

on Oct. 15 2021 at 7:38 pm
WolfGurl PLATINUM, Not A Real Place, Indiana
20 articles 5 photos 177 comments

Favorite Quote:
Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened. –Anatole France.

A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than you love yourself. –Josh Billings

Men are from Earth, women are from Earth. Deal with it.- George Carlin

A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people. —Franklin D. Roosevelt

Never lose. Either win, or learn. - Me

Wow! Cool! Question: is this based on a real place or your imagination?

on May. 24 2021 at 3:04 pm
jbritomariani BRONZE, Aurora, Colorado
3 articles 0 photos 4 comments
Wow, this is definitely a very intriguing work and there's a lot of ways to interpret it. You had a lot of really interesting use of alliteration that I thought carried through really well. Keep it up!

on May. 24 2021 at 11:51 am
rachelr23 BRONZE, Boca Raton, Florida
2 articles 0 photos 1 comment
Love this!! I think its so cool how many different ways this could be interpreted :)

on Dec. 19 2019 at 2:30 pm
MahendraSingh, Sacramento, California
0 articles 0 photos 4 comments
I like this poem it makes me smile and want to read more .

Air GOLD said...
on Nov. 11 2019 at 11:31 am
Air GOLD, Frisco, Texas
14 articles 0 photos 1 comment

Favorite Quote:
Doubt kills more dream then failure ever will

have yall seen behind the mask

on Apr. 11 2019 at 7:39 am
Peripatetic260 BRONZE, Bay City, Texas
1 article 0 photos 2 comments

Favorite Quote:
What's the point in being sad, we all die.

-Juuzou Suzuya

This is under appreciated!!! It's so amazing!!!

on Feb. 26 2019 at 10:28 am
Brookie-cookie BRONZE, Phoenix, Arizona
4 articles 0 photos 9 comments
Woah! I loved this <3 Can you check out my work so i can get your feedback!!

on Nov. 30 2018 at 2:49 pm
Chayaisdbest BRONZE, Brooklyn, New York
2 articles 0 photos 17 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Hard times don't create heroes. It is during those hard times when the 'hero' within us is revealed."
-Bob Riley

This is amazing! I can picture it vividly! Good job!

Lnc246 said...
on Jul. 28 2018 at 12:00 pm
Lnc246, Warrington, Pennsylvania
0 articles 0 photos 2 comments

Favorite Quote:
“Dream as if you’ll live forever, live as if you’ll die today”

I love this poem