Blessed Descent
author's note:
Because we live with the knowledge that we will die, perhaps all humans are, to some degree, courageous.
BLESSED DESCENT
When the overseers scanned our group
they could see I was the one
trying hardest not to be seen--
the one most afraid
that the earth beneath his feet
was only cloud.
They realized I needed
this trip--this ordeal--
more than anyone else.
Now as they turn the crank
my little basket slowly lowers
into the deep ravine
and its echoing bass murmur:
down there
I will explore for all of us
and with luck, return to report
on what delights and terrors exist
in such a precarious place.
Though I feel anxious and small
my chest thrills with silent celebration
as the darkness deepens:
at present
I despise my weakness
but at the bottom
I'll have the chance
to find my strength...
© 2015, Michael R. Patton
My War for Peace: the book
Labels: courage, darkness, discovery, explore, fear, growth, new age, poetry, spirituality, spoken word, strength