Unclimbed Stairways
by Odin Roark

At the base of the stairs
He lay on his back
Upon his chest
He propped his hero

Peering up through GI Joe’s
Stand-your-ground stance
All seemed climbable
Just like in the movies

But he knew
Summit of the stairs
Was the attic
That frigid place
Lures of the forbidden
With air suffocating its captivity
Like his mother warned

Such was the explanation
Penned studiously by the doctor
Connecting the dots
Of thirty years subsequent

The strategy of solipsism
Where more forbidden climbs
Ensnared him with madness
And a padded enclosure

The doctor thought he had control
But the man/boy knew
In front of him
Just a mother in a cheap suit
Warning
Always warning

Was Van Gogh warned?
Was David Foster warned?
Is the next Hoffman going to be warned?

Check your stairways
To the bathroom
Safe
To your bedroom
Probably safe
To the attic of adult life

Oh my
Caution
Or
Instinct

Here we go