She heaved
And breathed
Her muscles tense while pushing
Theboulder
Up
The steep hill.
It would not budge.
She pleadedwith it
Always struggling
Against the heaviness,
Her palmsbled
She tried in frustration
To beat it senseless -
Realizingin agony
That boulders have no sense to begin with.
She walkedaway
The boulder
Rolled her
With a thud.
She was left atthe beginning
Again.

So she waited at the bottom
Beneaththe crushing weight
Through the pouring rain
The maddening icestorms
The stale heats
The cold nights
The boulder
Crumbled
With erosion and time.
She shook off the dustyflakes
Stood up
Was free
And looked from above
The splendor
Of liberty.