November

say
best friends
holding hands
walking down the sidewalk
whisper echo crash
sense and senseless
support from the broken down ambulances
scream
gasp
giggle
echo echo echo echo
rewind and replay
time superimposes itself
same words
new context
say
holding hands
say
running free
say
spin around
say
best friends
stuck like glue
value and validation
say
what
say
best friends
nothing new
everything is new
brand new world discovered
say

This is the edge of everything and your spine is tingling with fear.  You feel your stomach plummet into the blackness, swallowed by childhood fears and numbness.  Your breath rattles in your rib cage like the jingles on a tambourine made of marrow and cartilage.  It presses in around you--this blackness--this newness.  Do you jump or leap?  Do you go quietly or go screaming?
And does anyone hear you?
Does anyone hear you?

say
best friends
holding hands
walking down the sidewalk
say
swallow the sky
swallow the clouds
swallow it all
leap skip jump
let's go
now now now now
now
this is urgent
time is slipping away

Does anyone hear you?

can you leap?
will you?
fear
terror
sharp stinging sweat
who knows
up or down
inside or out
leap, babe
leap
leap
leap
leap
leap
leap
leap
can.

Does anyone hear you?
I do.  I hear you.  And you know that.
So you leap.