I stand.
I stand, and I stand alone.
I stand, and I watch.
I watch the sun chase the clouds
across a crisp, blue sky.
I watch, and I listen.
I listen to the winds;
they don't speak to me.
I listen to the winds that don't speak,
and I feel them.
I feel them tug at my clothes,
insistent but gentle.
Toying with my hair,
my skirt,
my sweater.
Teasing me,
but begging to be followed.
I stand on a cliff.
Sheer and rocky,
the cliff juts over a lush green forest;
snakes of rivers wind themselves through the trees.
The cliff is a giant,
fingertips clutching at the sky,
where the sun chases the clouds.
I stand.
I stand, then I sit.
Chin in palm,
I sit and I think.
I think that I am lost.
I think that I am wrong.
I think about turning back,
but I think it's too late.
I crawl to the edge,
and peer towards the vast green abyss;
undulating waves of life
rise to meet my hungry eyes.
I want.
I know what I want, and I want to jump.
Leap.
Fly.
Plunge.
Crash.
The winds still don't speak to me.
The clouds don't blot out the sun,
the sky stays crisp and blue.
The jump would mean nothing.
And everything.
And as I eye
a vast green abyss,
I wonder.
In reality, the cliff is in my mind.
I sit on my bed,
I jump to the floor.
The winds that don't speak
is the vacuum downstairs,
and the lamp hangs from a white ceiling.
I still stand.
Poised on a precipice,
a precipice of momentous change.
But before I even get to make a choice,
I fear I have made a mistake.
So hold me, and tell me that I'm wrong.
I dare you.
Author notes
so glad you had the patience to read that. it was kinda lengthy. but very very reflective of my thought process. hope the imagery works! 
A contest entry
- The Other Poetry Contest by afullmetalwar.
505 points, ended December 1, 46 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
kinda long. but i like it :)
Comments
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"So hold me, and tell me that I'm wrong."
I like this. Very different. And that penultimate line...can we just talk about shivers? I love you. -
Imagery abounds in this piece that tells of all it sees. The twist to reality at the end adds an interesting side to your tale - signs of a very creative mind. The repetition was a bit heavy, but is understood for the effect you were trying to convey. All in all, quite good.
You may want to reconsider lime green on turquoise though, a bit tough on the eyes.
Thank you for sharing. ~The Blue Lamp
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thanks! yes, the repetition was abundant, but it did have a purpose. thanks for your comment!
(and i think ill change the colors, it does seem a bit harsh....)
~charlie
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it's a lovely piece about what it's like to grow up. i love how your cliff scene turns into your room, the cliff to the bed, the winds to the vacuum. i love how you reveal that the jump is about change, not about death. i love that you live every day hovering on the brink of change, afraid and not afraid to jump. i love that because it's so natural and so beautiful...and eventually you will make that jump and it will be right.
no fear, babe. i cannot hold you, but i can tell you that you're wrong.
you have made no mistake.
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