I’m standing on a cliff,

Gazing out at endless beauty.

I look down and see infinite wonder;

All sense of everything is lost.

I wander further on,

Closing the gap between myself and the long way down.

Slowly, the blue skies turn to gray

And the wind picks up – a warning before the storm.

With a sudden and life shattering crash,

The earth gives way,

No longer supporting my weight.

The shock of the event leaves me

Scared, breathless.

The air is filled with screams.

Free fall begins to set in,

And the feeling of not knowing,

Where the ground is

Or when I will feel the imminent thud

Consumes me.

All I can do is wait

In an anxious silence

For the landing of hard reality

That will surely break me.

Seconds pass,

Or is it minutes?

Heart slows, thoughts obscure.

There is nothing but free fall.

But as the ground gets closer

And my familiar fear sets in, yet again

I brace myself for the deadly smack.

I touch the ground and realize –

That long fall didn't’t kill me.

But I instantly wish it had.

I’m stuck with the same life I had.

Only, after the fall,

I’m left to admit that I went to far.