double dagger ‡

stabs dirt atop the mountain’s peak

slashed into something transient 

an untraceable intermediate 

caught in transition 

gibbs attempts to gather

the activation energy 

required to scale such heights

to claim the blade 

dug into the intangible

structure collapses on the climb 

bonds broken between brothers

release his futile grip   

with each slip he returns lower 

to ground state 

only when his tears

incite the hydrolysis of his heart

does the incline flatten,

exposing the neck of the blade

piercing the horizon.

in futile fists he grips

the sleek serrations of the dagger 

blood blooms from the webs 

of his ignorant flesh

until he releases, only to notice

he does not recognize his reflection

irreversibly transformed 

into a product of his own curiosity 

catalyzed by the conquistador’s desire

to hold in a fist

what only exists unheld ‡