Atlas

You’re stubborn as a mule, they said.

Just like your father before you.

He too held the world upon his shoulders, heavy and proud.

Never one to admit the weight of the world was too much.

You try, like him, to keep it aloft your narrow frame.

It’s crushing your spine downwards, a compression of epic proportions.

Sink into the sublime earth, feet first, heels next, until you’re buried six feet deep.

The weight of the world is too much for one man, and far too much for one girl.

Relinquish.

It’s allowed.