Life

This is what life does
It lets your younger self fly out of saddle
and pads your fall with soft green grass
You learn to free fireflies seconds before
their lights go out
You run from fireworks nipping heels,
sparkling hands, covering ears with each explosion
and mourn the loss of guinea pigs, hamsters and hermit crabs
replacing them with books, ballet and horses

Life lets you grow strong, hopeful and teases you
with fairy tales, castles, foreign lands and languages
and you marry a prince when you’re forty
after starts and stops along the way
You suffer, but feel joy – c’est la vie

Over lunch you exclaim, “I’m not dead yet,”
all the while wondering if you’ll die in your sleep tonight
Life becomes Final Destination 6
as aneurysms grow and regrow
nothing to be done
Tears flow like rivers, writing about life

As you look away from screen
a double decker bike passes your window
rider peddling furiously, towering above ground
You smile and live