catastrophe

i came across this poem in december and thought it was particularly acute, in given circumstances.


'Praying for Velcro Straps'
Poem 10 of 'Adwin Dolan’s Tin-Can Attachment'
by Adwin Dolan

You stooped down
To tie a little girl’s shoe
It was charming
You were charming
When you wanted to be
Somehow you got caught up
In unraveling that shoelace
For longer than you intended
It came as an analogy
For how long it has taken you
To unravel the wires
That made you think
Before feeling
The intellect
Before the art
The speaking
Before the shoving
I was sure
You were cursed
With too much of a good thing
Which is the worst curse to posses
It’s the one you cannot complain about
But is choking all the same
So I worried.
So I worry.
That you may not find your way out
You’ll be stuck with entanglement
That was never meant
For you
You may decide
To let the girl go
Before fixing her
To let her fall
To let me fall
With the rest of the colliding
World.
Because you are exhausted
Fed up.
Ready to be defensive
Ready to always be right
Playing the game cautiously
Switching to wireless
No desire to be
Anchored to any wall
Or anyone

Walking forward
Speaking.
Under your breath,
Praying for Velcro straps