Andrew Waterhouse was a British poet and environmentalist whose work dealt with relationships, emotions, and the natural world. His poem "Climbing My Grandfather," originally published in his 2000 collection In, uses an extended metaphor about climbing in order to portray the relationship between the speaker and his grandfather.
In the poem, the speaker decides to free-climb his grandfather, starting from his grandfather's shoes all the way until the summit of his hair. Some parts, such as the shoes and nails, are easy to climb, while others are more challenging. The effort tires the speaker, who rests at his grandfather's shoulder and mouth. The speaker makes discoveries about the landscape of his grandfather's body along the way until he finally reaches the top. There, he watches the clouds and birds above as he gasps for breath, and focuses on his grandfather's warmth and the pulse of his good heart.
The collection In was well-received: it won the Forward Prize for Best First Collection as well as the Northern Writers' Award. Sadly, in October 2001, Waterhouse committed suicide after a battle with depression. His second collection (titled 2nd: the Second Collection) was published after his death.
