This pulley was hung upside down
on a strong cable in a tree
above a treehouse we boys made
from lumber left around the ground
of our new house. We tried to see
if we could hold the hook and slide
way down the cable to the stake
that we had driven in the grass.

We finally just tied a rope
to the pulley’s long steel hook
that hurt our young and weary hands.
We fell to hell, but screamed with hope

– Steve Shoemaker, November 30, 2013