Dee Writes

She hovered near the edge of the precipice

Gazing over the edge into the unknown

Shivering as the winds of change eddied and swirled in the space beyond

A deep longing in her heart that throbbed with an incessant rhythm of its own

Much like the rhythm of her heartbeat

Urged her to step over the edge

It called the swirling, mysterious abyss “freedom”

But it all seemed so terrifying

So, she stepped back

As she had done every day for years

Decades even

Into safety, security, routine

But also, into restlessness, anxiety, depression

And every day, though she may try to avoid its pull

She found herself back at that ledge

Staring into the beyond

Wondering if she could do it

If she could step over that edge and start to fly

But the others that lived in the world of safety, security, routine

They told her it was foolish

That almost nobody that stepped over the edge flew

That most of them fell

Plummeting down to join the heap of bleached white bones at the bottom

Dreams smashed against the rocks along the way

So, she stepped back

Again, and again

Until…

One day she came closer to the edge than ever before

She felt the pull of the wind around her like an embrace

She perceived the heaviness of the so-called safety behind her

And the buoyant lightness of the space before her

Suddenly staying seemed far more dangerous than stepping off

She backed up a few steps, and the others told her she was doing the right thing

Come back to them, come back to safety

You cannot leave us

Ignoring them, she ran straight ahead and leapt

Right off the precipice and into the unknown

Wings sprouted from her shoulders

They looked like delicate gossamer and lace

But they were strong and solid and carved through the wind

As if they had been waiting their entire life for this moment

Because they had been there all along

Ready, waiting, hoping she would believe

And when she finally did trust in them

She did not just fly

She soared

Original Poem by Dee A. Rowe