Fear of Life

We were born of evolutionary movement,

Development that knew only a single cell in the beginning,

Only to later realize its division

Questionable,

Chanceable,

Changeable,

Destructible.

How fearless…

The existence of

Our youth,

Our expectant adulthood,

Our ambitious rush into

Our fantasies of love,

Our stage of dreams.

But…

 Always in the wings,

Shadows lurked.

Everyone’s best friend,

Or enemy,

That silhouette confirming we were someone,

A person we enjoy seeing,

Or a blur of magnet-like fear

That keeps one looking

Over one’s shoulder.

This nemesis called fear,

Goading us to play it safe,

Guaranteeing safety by withdrawal,

Knows not of courage.

We listen

For a while.

We dare to break out

For a while.

We hide

For too long.

Fear of life,

The stealth-like captor,

The phantom handcuffs,

Leg irons,

Cages with,

Razor-sharp bars.

To feel alive

May require

Gripping the bars,

Proving that something

Courses through our bodies

Besides fright.

It takes daring to defy

The ever-growing norm of fear

Which could leave one

To die without ever having been alive.

Such may be

A continuance

Worthy only

Of returning to

The Pre-microbe state of being.