mountains in the distance

let's go mountain
climbing today,
your new girlfriend
says over a bowl
of oatmeal. it
was a good night,
so you are prone
to giving in to
bad ideas, for
a moment.
you try not to
roll your eyes
but they flip
slightly back into
your head and she
sees you. are you
rolling your eyes
at me? well, yes,
i am, you say,
blowing on a hot
spoon of oatmeal.
we can drive over
to that mountain,
that one out the window
and go climb it,
she says.
let's be adventurous.
you look out the
window and see
the blue ridge
mountains about
two hundred miles
away. but we don't
have any ropes
or pick axes, you
tell her, or
sherpas to carry
up our lunch
and oxygen tanks.
do you love me,
or don't you,
she says, standing
up at the table.
hands on her hips.
of course i do,
you tell her.
these last three
days getting to
know you have been
the best three days
of my life, in fact
i would climb
the highest...umm,
well, let me rephrase
that. i get it,
she says. you were
just using me
for sex, weren't you.
that's it, she says.
we're breaking up.
you're not who i
thought you were.
okay, you tell her.
hey, don't forget
your girl stuff in
the bathroom, your
toothbrush and
those creams and
whatever, but she doesn't
hear you as the door
slams and she drives
away towards
the mountains
where the snow
clouds are descending.