Securing the Ascent

Morning light broke over the parapet. That brass lock held firm all night beside me. To keep pushing upward toward the sky, I need a sturdier vertical path. Right above the ledge runs an iron downspout, clamped tight into the masonry with rusted steel bands. I stepped up to the lowest clamp, wrapped both gloved fists around the pipe's cool curved seam, and tested the metal. Solid iron. No give. I hauled my boots up onto the narrow bracket, locking myself directly onto the vertical track. This conduit leads straight toward the roofline. Every inch upward counts.