Sport 2: Autumn 1989
Sara Knox
Sara Knox
Climbing
For my father, who wanted to be forever young
We walked miles that day — my sister and I.
It was summer; we were not
ourselves —
were what we could be
at our best; free
and with different names
in the mountains, tramping
over gravel track and swingbridge,
past forty Japanese tourists wearing white,
cameras swinging at their necks
like baby monkeys
walked nine kilometres
to the base of the mountains,
there stopped by the fear
that any further
would be called
'climbing':
a thing we could not do,
at least not without
crampons
pitons
swiss climbing packs
two hundred feet of rope
two pairs of socks
in well-worn boots
strong legs
confidence
page 116
no fear of heights
(in other words —
whole other lives)
so we two girls
stopped and had our picnic
while a party of young Aussie men
swum in the nearby Hooker
yelling, white-lipped, at one another:
'Its not that fucking cold!'
and our father's ghost
ran swiftly past us
with a crate of beer (taken on a bet)
for urgent delivery
to the admiring ghosts
of other
strong,
young,
forgetful
men,
high in the mountains overhead.
Hermione, 1881
I
Tim,
they said,
we cannot take the cats
where we are going
but you can have one
when we get there
and I asked
where is there?
and
Missy, superior,
looked up over her oatmeal
and told me
to the Colonies!
a long way, and,
they say
it will be by ship
and I shall see
the sea.
II.
Today the letter
came
calling us to Plymouth.
Missy, Noel and I
were fetching windfalls
by the gate.
(Pippins)
then Missy
grabbed my hand,
squeezing till it hurt —
said
Look!
and through the open door
I saw mother at the kitchen table
crying
one rose apple
in her hands.
III.
Gales again today
and I heard the carpenter
from steerage
swearing
that God spat
to make this wretched sea
the Bay of Biscay
and the biscuit
is too hard
for Noel to eat
Mother soaked it
but he wouldn't touch it
anyway.
IV.
Lessons on deck;
a strapping
when I told the Master
I'd lost my Company bible.
V.
He is gone.
Noel is gone
and I am in terror of these waves
He was just there
on the deck
between Missy and Mother —
then the water breaking over us;
everything swept about
and Noel
gone
we wouldn't have been out
but mother said
Noel needed arrowroot
and we must fetch it
from the Surgeon
VI.
Now still,
the ship throws out a wake
like wings
behind us
The other children play tag;
run along the deck
to watch bottles
drift from bow to stern
and
the Master came, smiling, to me
told me what sport it was
to throw bottles and hats
to the sea
so I told him
that hat was for Noel,
and that he had my Bible too.