If I let go of this wall,
there will be no turning back.
He is waiting for me
in the middle of the room.
Patient, but insistent.
He could wait there all night,
but he knows he won’t have to.
He knows eventually I will
lift my fingers from this wall
that has no hand grips
anyway, that would eventually
become just one more thing
to slide down.
So I look him in the eyes
though it’s too dark to see.
I have faith, I trust, I push off,
take that first step.
Strong arms reach out to catch me
as I let go.
2 comments:
Good opening; gets the reader right into the middle of things.
You could safely omit "I have faith, I trust" -- you show that elsewhere in that stanza.
Yes that is a great opening line, really puts stakes in this poem.
I would omit "that has no hand grips anyway" - maybe, no grip? - but it sounds like most walls have hand grips but this one doesn't. Unless you're trying to point out that this isn't a climbing wall...wait, maybe this is a climbing wall. I'm a bit confused, I confess.
I agree, the end could use some tightening.
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