Afraid of Heights Yes, I am, and maybe you are too— vision blurs, stomach turns, ground falls away. Any bridge or ledge, any tall building or tower makes me tremble and Oh, God, never look down! You may slip and fall, you may be drawn into its vortex. Is it fear of falling, or fear of jumping? Might I lose control or welcome new freedom? I’ve thought long on it, but only after, breathless, I am across. Once on a bridge holding my baby in my arms, I shuttered and sat straight down wooden railing at my back. In a glass elevator I melted like candle wax to the floor and stayed for the door’s release. I admit it here, look it in the eye, risk all, and welcome any sweet relief.
About the Author: Larry Smith is a poet, fiction writer, memoirist and editor of Bottom Dog Press books in Ohio. He and his wife Ann cofounded a meditation center in Huron, Ohio. His most recent book is CONNECTIONS: Moring Dew: Tanka.
Image Credit: Detroit Publishing Company “Cliff stairway, High Bridge, Ky.” (1907) Public domain image courtesy of the Library of Congress
As It Ought To Be 