To the President Elect

To the President Elect

Joseph Brodsky

You've climbed the mountain. At its top,

the mountain and the climbing stop.

A peak is where the climber finds

his biggest step is not mankind's.

Proud of your stamina and craft

you stand there being photographed

transfixed between nowhere-to-go

and us who give you vertigo.

Well, strike your tent and have your lunch

before you stir an avalanche

of brand-new taxes whose each cent

will mark the speed of your descent.