View From the Bottom
by Nikki Walser
VIEW FROM THE BOTTOM
Sometimes
the hardest journey isn’t the climb,
but the inevitable trek back down.
One misstep resulting
in a decline so rapid, so intense
that I find myself plunging toward the bottom—
tumbling headlong past obstacles,
which I painstakingly overcame
during my ascent.
Flying past in a blur,
not even the old devices are left to feign control
over my now inescapable defeat.
Shellshocked, I look up.
From the flat of my back ,
at the base of this great giant,
deflated.
Every second drags on,
as I will my racing pulse to slow.
Here at the foot of all my strife,
I feel the full weight
of failure.
Muscles used to attain that sweet victory are
now bruised and aching.
If I linger too long, they will surely atrophy.
The unceremonious speed of my plummet,
contrasts so glaringly in light of the healing
I have worked toward all these months—
no, years—decades, even.
Time and energy expelled,
propelling me to the summit,
now converged into a total loss.
Loss of breath,
loss of purpose,
loss of hope.
But this journey isn’t over.
Here at the bottom,
in the shadow of the mountain,
hands lovingly reach and pull me to my feet.
“Let’s start again,” He beckons me.
This time, I venture not alone.
Should my steps begin to stray
He will break my fall.
Holding steady to my hand,
He deftly guides,
forging a new way.
As a shepherd cradles a lost lamb,
He carries me—
not through the worn, familiar trails of my past
but onto a new path.
Refashioning serpentine into straight,
He trades my shame for triumph.
Here at the bottom
is where I learn
what true surrender feels like.
NIKKI WALSER
Nikki, AKA "Mama Walser," loves Jesus, her family, and Disneyland (in that order). She has been blessed with the opportunity to teach creative writing and drama classes to the coolest students around. When she is not at school or spending time with her family, she volunteers with the middle schoolers at her church on the weekends. You can find her on Substack: @MamaWalser.