Certain heights are surmounted only once.
To scale them a second time would be wrong,
reducing our successes to mere stunts
or nostalgia for feats when we were young and strong.
There are other peaks on the horizon -
lower, maybe, and less dramatic, sure.
The perspective there may narrow, tighten
and dwindle, though you may find that’s a cure
for youthful caprices that ran amok
and often got you into hot water.
You’re simply older, not down on your luck.
There’s much to do besides crouch and totter
as you think of those hills you’ve left behind
and near the lower vistas of your higher mind.