My Irrefutable Analogy

author’s note:

I use that last line on myself all the time.


MY IRREFUTABLE ANALOGY

Recently, a friend complained
his little life seemed so pale.

So I told him
what I sometimes tell myself
when I’m feeling
bland and inconsequential:

“Inside this tent lives a circus.

“In the center ring
  I stand as a lion tamer
  marshalling
  roaring forces within.

“At the same time
  I swing back and forth
  —back and forth—
  while hanging upside down.

“And though this motion blurs my vision
  through strength of mind I manage
  to transform what I see into solid pictures.

“What’s more—
  I walk a tightrope thin as barb wire.
  And before you accuse me of hyperbole
  remember how often I’ve fallen.

“Yes, a net has always caught me in the past
  but what about the future?
  What about the next step?

“Stressful, yes, nonetheless
  this painted smile stays on my face.

“I tell you I am a circus!

“And when you consider
  all your inner activities
  I think you’ll agree:
  you are a circus as well.”

I could see
my irrefutable analogy
had awakened my friend
to the amazing life within his life.

But in that moment
he also became acutely aware
of the precariousness
of his existence.

So to embolden him
I then said:

“Think of all the people
  who live each day knowing full well
  a sudden slip
  could mean death
  yet they still step forth.

“If they can, we can, can’t we?”

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