0 MILK AND BULLETS

I want to tell you something that’s true.

I want to tell you it might not be safe
to take even one more step.
The sidewalk could explode under your feet,
a bullet called random and a person you love,
might be traveling towards each other, even now.

I want to tell you there are so many ways for things to go wrong--
a driver about to wipe up spilled milk,
the word cancer forming in a doctor's mind,
a husband ready to confess when you answer that phone.

This morning, I want to tell you to just stay still.
I know…I know…
Even not moving is a stone laid down to make a dim path.

So I'll tell you something else.
That the first berry might be sweet on your tongue,
the lawn can feel cool to your hot feet in summer,
the next song you hear might make you sing,
and we are all bits of ancient stars,
gathered to light each other's way.

This is also true.

--Andrea F., 50