you’re walking a tightrope
high up above the earth,
tied between two mountains:
one near home,
the other one, kilometres away.
you’re not scared,
just curious and somewhat befuddled.
when you look down,
you see verdant fields
peppered with wild flowers
on your right.
you also see a shiny rainbow
on a larimar sky
and children playing,
their cuteness and innocence
on display.
but then you look left
and there’s only black.
fire has burned
what used to be a meadow.
now the ash beckons.
will you jump?
will you listen to
the evil that hides
in the fiendish lava land?
you think about it
for a millisecond,
for a century or more,
but then you continue
on your way.
you’re, after all,
an acrobat.
and if anyone ever asks you,
you’ll tell them
that you were tempted,
but that cowardice whispered
in your ear,
and lent you a comforting hand.
