Jim Babwe

Gravity

 

I know better than to brag from the top of any ladder

or take the view for granted

and I know this last rung

past the warning label

provides a path to this end

of what you call a dangerous tightrope.

But this spot is where I see

a bridge from here to the impossible.

Height does not scare me

and even though I wish

a safety net were present,

I’ll go anyway.

I take no tentative steps

because fear needs to remember

enthusiasm is a better teacher.

Maybe delusion blinds me

to potential consequences

and if that’s the case I will use delusion

to protect me from doubt.

These days

I enjoy being old enough

to mean it when I say

I don’t give a damn

if you think I’m a fool.

You see a tightrope.

I see a bridge.

Impossible is an opinion

and a difference of opinion

should not make us enemies.

If you choose

the road less travelled

feel free to pick apples.

I’ll cruise the road most littered

because that’s where I’ve found

the most interesting travelers—

honest enough to tell you directly

they may not know exactly

where they’re going

or exactly how they plan to get there.

I love the people

who refuse to calculate asset ratios

while they’re buying gum—

who refuse to pray for one more year  

because now they can finally afford to retire,

believing that horrible lie

about infinite vacation.

 

The safe route  

may feature convenient luxuries—

reclining chairs and poolside service

for spectators but I refuse to sit and giggle

between snide remarks and tenure

because spectators do not understand--

gravity is a weaker force than joy

and even though falling is seldom fun,

rising to my feet to try again,

climbing the ladder back to the bridge

and pushing forward

with the best stride

might make me an easy target,

but never a victim.