At the Brink...

Sometimes I'd wonder if you would follow me
As I ventured into the abyss
You screamed and crawled and begged me not to
We could not both go over
You knew this
I did not
And so I dragged you to the edge
I was ready to jump in
You still had my ankle
So you must be ready too
Pleading eyes looked up at me
A second thought...
And then I tripped and fell
You let go
What could you do?
And both of us we lost 
Looking at the darkness there
Until I saw you
Eyes again in light and wonder
For wings I'd grown and flown up to you
The abyss now harmless under

Poetry by Jess Fleming
27 July 2013

     Sometimes we try to keep people in the light. They seem to chase the darkness and the fear--everything we know will be bad for them. And they drag us toward it as we beg for them to change and no longer chase the danger, because we love them. And when they finally take the plunge and we are forced to let go... We realize that they needed to go into the darkness in order to conquer it for themselves, and all is renewed.