Limp with heroics
of a near miss –
there is a prize
for valor, unintended:
fated to carry
the bulk of your own
damned good fortune,
a taunting phantom’s limb.
Better you than me, mate.
Better me than you.
An entreaty: better me.
Bear me up along the long
survivor’s arc.
Bravery is built on
persistence with the
influence of inertia’s sway;
intention annexed with
inevitability, curving weight
forward, laded in grace.
caroline ridgway 