Long before we decide,
the path is carved for us.
Sliced through existence
to be forged for this one, and beyond.
The goals we strive for in this life,
the roles we thrive in, the roads we stride on,
all to guide us through the night
of our own inner selves,
as we run
from what hides behind us, driving us forward.
We treat our climb as the endgame,
knowing it is but a doorway
leading within.
A puzzle doomed to those who solve it,
only to scramble it again.
Ice water floods the lungs,
fire floods the hands,
the shame of forgotten friends.
Through screams we vent, while these descents
complete the trends that we begin, complete again.
Our means to ends,
so we pretend.
The cure is our curse:
when pure—at our worst—we find ourselves first
in the thousand-headed dragon.
Devin Dabney is secretly working on becoming the best rapper alive so that he can write for dope magazines like The Climbing Zine. You can find some of his work on major music platforms like Spotify, and at deuceishiphop.bandcamp.com. You can also witness more of his climbing and rap shenanigans on Instagram @deuceishiphop.
Dig the words? Keep the dream alive by subscribing to The Climbing Zine. It’s $24.99 a year for three issues, and $39.99 for two years (six issues) $59.99 for three years (nine issues) and $99.99 for five years (fifteen issues). We run new specials every week with freebies, so be sure to check out our store for the latest beta.
About us: The Climbing Zine was started in 2010 by Al Smith III and Luke Mehall. It continues to the day with the mission of representing the true essence of climbing. Our crown jewel is our printed version, but we also do the interweb thing, and Kindle.
We have also published six books: The Desert, Graduating From College Me, American Climber, The Great American Dirtbags , Climbing Out of Bed, and Squeak Goes Climbing In Yosemite National Park (a climbing children’s book) .
