I am tripping on a crack in the sidewalk
Stumbling forward
Senses disrupted in precarious pose
Life interrupted by faultless misfortune
Unpredicted, unpredictable
Makes me want to retaliate somehow
Flash hazard lights
Pretend some pretentious precaution
Initiate some lame attempt at accident prevention
Yet I am no invalid, not crippled
Nor blind enough to need a cane
Nevertheless, all-too-often, I am befuddled
Tripped up by a lifetime of unexpected slips
And seemingly endless segues
This frequent frustration - so vexing
It’s like a hidden tax
The strain on the brain unnerving
Ends up draining the battered senses
Battery eventually in need of jumpstart attention
Makes you want to howl at the moon
Makes you want to count your lucky stars
But even quests for lucky charms
Are fraught with devilish danger
Including and especially probable bodily harm
With superstitions clambering to invoke
The avoidance of black cat paths
Full moon madness and leaning ladders
One might assume
Our simplest fears would eventually conspire
To take us prisoner - keep us all at home
Best to chuckle about our missteps
And know that life will not be paused
Too long
By one stubbed toe



Michael S. True
2-5-15 last edit 9/15/16