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Cliff

How,
      in the face of oblivion,
      can we act this way?
How can we desiccate the heart
      with such searing heat?
Take me back again
      to the mountains,
      to the cool-running streams
            and cascades;
Take me back
      to that careless time
      before my foot slipped
            at the edge of this precipice.

Glenn Simonelli wrote a chorale piece for male choir based on this poem. The score is available at reallygoodmusic.com for a nominal price.