Faulty Compass

A poem about being at the end of childhood, on the brink of adulthood, on the verge of beginning your independent life, not knowing whether you'll sink or swim

My nerves are on edge

As I stand on the edge

Of this cliff-

My mind forever between wedding veils, flower baskets

And eulogies, wooden caskets-

And if I should jump,

Or even slip,

Would I fall to my death?

Would I land softly in cotton or straw?

Or would there be anything to break my fall?

Perhaps I would simply fall endlessly into the black abyss,

Never positively sure whether I was sinking 

Or instead soaring;

Could success and failure be synonymous?

How uncertain is this dark, uncharted trench!

Reviews

[emipoemi]

Not quite sure how I missed this one all that time ago, but I'm glad I discovered it now, as it's great. Reminds me a bit of that short poem by Erin Hanson (pretty sure that's her name). But yours has great form, great progression, the musicality is on point. It asks some profound questions - ones I have been feeling inside for the longest time. Well done!! Much enjoyed.

[Chris]

an intrigued mind-set on a daily teetering of in-"digestion of relative" issues. All puns in-tended to fall with a clarity rarely seen.

[GreenShoes]

Beautifully expressed! A difficult and confusing time in most people's lives.