The speaker decides to free-climb his grandfather without the aid of gear or tools. He begins at his grandfather's old shoes, which are described as dusty and cracked. It is easy for the grandson to scramble up the trousers by pushing into the weave of the fabric to get a grip. When the speaker reaches the shirt hanging over the pants, he scoots sideways along the belt until he reaches his grandfather's earth-stained hand. Like the pants, the nails on the grandfather's hand give good purchase because of their texture. The speaker describes the skin of his grandfather's finger as smooth and thick like warm ice. There is evidence of a scar on the arm, and the speaker carefully navigates its glassy ridge.
Despite age, the grandfather's shoulder is still firm, and the speaker rests there in the shade of the head. He does not look down because climbing becomes dangerous when one loses their nerve. The speaker pulls himself up the loose skin of his grandfather's neck until he reaches the smiling mouth. There, he stops to take a drink among teeth, then continues on across the grandfather's rough and hewn cheek. The speaker stares into his grandfather's large brown eyes and watches a pupil open and close. The wrinkles on the grandfather's forehead are well-spaced and relatively easy to climb. The speaker finally reaches his grandfather's thick, soft, and white hair. When he gets to the summit, he lies down and gasps for breath, watching clouds and birds move overhead. The poem ends with the speaker feeling the heat of his grandfather's body and being aware of the slow pulse of his grandfather's good heart.
