The story of the man who lived in the tower
That person
had started living in the tower at some point.
The tower was tall,
and the windows offered a view far into the distance.
People’s shadows were small,
and their voices could not be heard.
If he had stayed here,
there would have been no need to get lost.
The stairs leading up to the tower were narrow,
each step narrow.
“The right step.”
“The wrong step.”
“The winning step.”
To avoid falling,
I kept my eyes on my feet as I climbed.
I didn’t have time to look back.
Up in the tower,
there are no floors of the same height.
If you let your guard down even a little,
someone will appear to be lower than you.
That’s why this person
is always checking.
Is he still up there?
Has someone else caught up?
Checking has become a part of his daily routine.
Sometimes,
someone would come from below the tower.
That person,
was wearing different shoes.
Shoes that looked comfortable to walk in.
Shoes that smelled of earth.
For some reason, the people in the tower
felt uneasy.
That’s why they said,
Those shoes are dangerous.
These shoes are better.
It was both advice and kindness.
At least,
that’s what they wanted to think.
But
the man doesn’t change his shoes.
He walks quietly out of the tower.
He neither looks up nor down.
When he sees his back,
a small breeze blows through the man’s chest.
What if
he could walk there without climbing the tower?
The thought is quickly driven away.
This place is too high to even think about.
At night,
the tower creaks often.
Every time the wind blows,
the stones rattle.
The sound is louder at night when no one comes.
The people in the tower
speak.
They footsteps.
They move things.
As long as there is sound,
I’m here.
But one day,
there was no one below the tower.
No one came.
No one looked.
With no one to look down on,
height lost its meaning.
The tower
became just a thin pillar.
That person realizes for the first time.
There’s no floor here.
It’s a place where they have no choice but to stand.
The stairs to descend are still there.
But descending would mean admitting that the previous steps were “unnecessary.”
And that’s scary.
Still,
if the day comes when they descend.
That person will stand
on the ground.
A place that is neither high nor low.
A place where no one’s shoes will be criticized.
If, when they look up at the tower,
it seems small,
that person will have finally
stood.
