Photograph©By Vijaya Sundaram, 2016
If You Tripped …
©May 27th, 2016
By Vijaya Sundaram
If you tripped and fell
Headlong into my life
Would you fly, or drown?
The skies beat down
Like blue silver or silk,
And the sea screams “Seagull!”
You’d find yourself crossing an
Entire ocean, brushing up
Against seals and dolphins
Snarfing up some fish,
Avoiding nets and trawlers.
You’d get past islands
Of discomfort, trudge up
To tropical rainforests,
Take a right turn, moving to
Cold, frozen wastelands.
Do not be deceived.
Blue-white ice is beautiful
Sometimes, a body can
Be preserved perfectly
Waiting to be thawed
Right under it all.
Let’s leave the cold
Just for a while.
How about the heat?
Would you walk across
Hot coals and let your feet
Feel the fire, or would you
Flee, wanting out?
Would you greet the
Unicorns (yes, they’re lurk)
And the dragons (oh, very much there)
And the phoenix, aloof and quiet,
By name, and pay obeisance to each?
They like to be acknowledged.
They require payment.
They’ll ask for your
Truth and your fealty,
And they’ll repay it
In their own strange way.
The unicorn will gaze
At you from the depths
Of her forest, and will
Give you dreams, make
The moon descend.
Will you gaze back,
And send a dream to her?
Would you ride the dragon
And take the fire and the heat?
Would you sing, as you
Rise up higher, and higher,
And when you keep rising,
Would you beg to be let down?
And the phoenix will
Destroy all that you stood for,
And rebuild you, over
And over, and over again,
While dreaming of other worlds.
Look carefully where you tread
For you could trip and fall
Headlong into my life.
It’s not for everyone,
Not even me.
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Photograph©By Vijaya Sundaram, 2016