The Cliff by Valerie Parente

You can’t rush into something
that’s been a long time coming
I’ve been falling for years
and I could have hit the ground running.

I knew it was a cliff
we were dealing with
I knew all along
one of us would trip.

Just a little push
was all it took
I went down first
when you were afraid to look.

Then you saw
I survived and walked
no longer waiting
for you to jump off.

I knew it all
I knew you would fall
I knew the realization
would hit like a brick wall.

I could have ran
just to prove I can
but then you showed me
where you stand.

It was next to me,
after all this grief
you didn’t fall
you actually leaped.

Now we feel the same
both on this plane
the ground is finally level
on this new terrain.

– Valerie Parente (4-9-2021)