Intro to Als' Book of Poetry

Foreward: This is a project a friend asked me to do a little while ago...It is the introduction to his compiled works of poetry and lyrics. I'm honered he would ask me to do it, because I know him...he's been a friend for a long time...
He hopes I can encapisculate his persona in an intro, and I hope I can too...but I'm fairly sure that's pretty friggin impossible...you just have to know him...
Quite a while ago when I was working for a newspaper, I did a feature story on his music. I had to bang my head to get the story as right as I could...again I'm banging my head...gotta love it...

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Ogr81 clung to the rock, the wind ripped past him, and although his energy had been spent, he had to go on. Real life wallowed below, at least eight miles, like dots...like wisps...He was almost there...and to give up would be death...so he clung to the rock waiting for the the right moment to breach the crest...
...his life flashed before him...sun...rain...lightening...pain...a flashback walking down an alley...off Main Street Canada, four of us on a first time, the sirens sing out!...still worthy of a laugh, no doubt...
....riding a rail on a bridge of steel, when suddenly someone loses a wheel...
....red on a rug as if dripped off a pendulum...
....questions, queries, thoughts n theories...
.....chrystaline mythical labyrinths...
...yet one more step to go...
Now or never!
Ogr81 heaves himself over the edge, and rests inert on a plateau. What was below was below...what was past was past...as if the climb had been his last, he was there to hear the words Al had cast...