Steady, Ready, or Heady
By VStarTraveler
A slip, a slide, a crash, a fall.
What lethal risk that little sprawl!
Such deadly paths they daily tread,
So care they take or end up dead.
Could happen fast, that tiny slip,
Their feet fly up, they take a dip,
The head slams down and hits the floor,
The breath grows faint, eyes blink no more.
But others see no danger there,
They make their way without a care.
They forward go, not brave, not bold,
Ignoring risks their way may hold.
Most people fall within this realm.
Their worries, some, don't overwhelm.
They live their lives accepting chance,
Let come what may by happenstance.
Then others still, the shooting stars,
Who live for thrill, who drive fast cars,
Who jump from planes and climb the peak,
Whose lives are one big action streak,
They feel the rise, adren'lin rush,
Excitement flows, their faces flush.
Forward they go, no worries there,
Living their life a constant dare.
When worried thoughts our lives we fill,
What do we miss? Authentic thrill?
While some don't feel that stirring sway,
Still others do and charge away!
So care or risk, the choice we make,
Determines which, the path we take.
A steady plod? A comet ride?
Our 'look on life will be our guide.
Author's Note:
When writing this work, I could see little Xander Cage reading a mimeographed copy of the poem handed out by his teacher. He would scratch his head in confusion at the careful person, wonder why the ready-type didn't do more, and fully embrace the exhilaration of the last. When he'd written his four lines or 50 words (whichever was more, of course) explaining his feelings about the poem, he would go up to the roof, take a running leap, and jump the gap to the adjacent building in the orphanage. On coming inside, he'd visit the dispensary to get merthiolate and bandaids for his skinned knees, all while smiling...
This work was inspired by the C/P April 2018 Poetry Slam. Six words were determined by a random word generator. At least two of these were required to be used as prompts to inspire the poem. The actual words don't have to be in the poem, but the relationship should be clear. In addition, nouns used could be singular or plural, and verbs could be adjusted for conjugation.
In this case, the words were Authentic, Lethal, Blinks, Harmony, Bold, Comet. The words underlined were used in the poem (though authentic probably shouldn't have been!).
Thanks for reading. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Sincerely,
VST