A friend of mine is falling fast, Her life spun from control; She walks upon a trail that leads To darkness in her soul. She telephoned me late last night From a bridge that’s strung Across the San Francisco bay Where many folks have hung. Philosophy and physics Feed her mental thirst; I’ve known her at her very best I’ve known her at her worst. Ten years of marriage to a guy Who thought the time had come To have a baby, so they did Then left, became a bum. Wounded by the love she lost A daughter she then bore; Collapsing walls around her Without an exit door. Five years passed behind her, And each cut like a knife; While she observed the meaning Escaping from her life. In self-destructive free fall The last weeks swirl about; Friday she’s arrested, Her employer says she’s out. They took her to a mental ward Last night before her call; The doctor who examined her Released her back to fall. So from the bridge she telephones And asks if she would die; And if she jumps into the bay Would anybody cry? “Alone we are,” I tell her And tell her, “I won’t lie; No one misses anyone And no one’s going to cry. All the people living Will die without a voice; But we don’t live for others, And living is a choice. You’ll be dead forever, So it’s a small expense To live the years you’re given Not sittin’ on a fence. If you choose to jump tonight Aim for something hard; Otherwise you’re in a chair Pushed around a yard. If you choose to drive away And in yourself find trust; All the answers lie within Covered up in dust. She’s lost, maybe forever; Perhaps she’ll find her way; From out of darkness babies Are born to life each day. I don’t know why she called me, From on that bridge so high; For reasons to continue Or just to say goodbye.Leave a Comment
A near daily offering of topical verse and poetry.