And as I
Knew you responded
For my cry
For help chasing
Me down the
Beach as I
Was caught in
Life’s rip tide
Hollering here swim
Here to me
Flailing and tired
I followed your
Voice like a
Retriever following the
Splash here over
Here to me
I heard again
And again at
Last breaking free
And into the
Water of hopelessness
You ran grabbing
Me and pulling
Me into the
Safety of arms
And so like
An unopened letter
I’ve decided to
Keep myself to
Myself like a
Telephone that went
Silent mid sentence
I kept saying
Hello to no
One finally hanging
Up the receiver
Now like a
Snowless Christmas in
Wisconsin I’m missing
That one thing
That made all
Of the other
Banal things possible
And now we
Are a diminishing
Drip drip drip
After months of
Monsoons after months
Of downpours after
Months of thunder
What remains is
But tiny splashes
In an overflowing
Cistern adding nothing
But more to
Lose maybe to
Water what’s next
And today starts
The firework display
Mountains and valleys
Erupting in orange
Bronze and amber
The days saturated
With warmth and
The nights cool
With Autumnal chill
Soon the leaves
Will leap like
Paratroopers spinning and
Landing crunching with
Every step as
The forest floor
Prepares for winter
My dear boy
There are two
Types of people
In this world
Those that retreat
From a challenge
And those that
Charge the same
Those that retreat
Are the followers
And those that
Charge are leaders
One lives a
Safe life while
The other makes
His own life
No one is
Born to be
Either but instead
Chooses either prairie
Or mountain top
Both start at
The same spot
But end at
Completely different places
HARLAN DIDRICKSON 