The ground has changed its texture
from soft grass to treacherous ice
Shoes morph into skates
With these-I navigate my destiny
oblivious to the holes that yawn beneath
the surface
But still I skate
Guided only by a primal instinct –
hearing what the wind whispers
seeing dusk before dawn
smelling my fear before she awakes
tasting acrid danger on my tongue
ducking
diving
surviving
on thin ice
©Vivian Zems
Poets United- Midweek Motif- Vigilance
September 18, 2019 at 9:32 pm
Whew. I feel the danger around me even more after reading this amazing poem, and “still I skate.” Wow!
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September 18, 2019 at 9:52 pm
Thanks Susan!
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September 18, 2019 at 10:55 pm
Vivian,
Loved your poem and its illustrations about how life might be with its risks and the requirements to motivate, each day.
I actually understand the need for vigilance, from my personal perspective with walking and eyesight imperfections..
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September 19, 2019 at 9:55 am
Thanks Eileen😊
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September 19, 2019 at 12:00 am
The ice might be thin and crack – yet one continues to skate onward on that blade of hope.
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September 19, 2019 at 7:18 am
Well put! Thank you 🙏🏾
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September 19, 2019 at 3:12 am
Yes Vivian the ice is getting very thin at the moment. I am an old guy and regarding this subject I feel my generation has failed. There’s too much concern about personal wealth and not enough about provioding a habitable and rich world for our children. By rich I don’t mean money but abundance of forest, clean rivers, stable icecaps and a variety of animal species to cohabit the planet to make us of a rich Earth again..
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September 19, 2019 at 7:17 am
I share your pain, Robin😊
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September 19, 2019 at 5:06 am
We’re all on this. Few alas are aware of the danger.
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September 19, 2019 at 7:17 am
Indeed!
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September 19, 2019 at 10:16 am
What a wonderful flowing poem – as sharp as ice skates
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September 19, 2019 at 3:36 pm
Vivian, this is now my favorite of your poems. It’s a magnificent metaphor of the sad truth.
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September 19, 2019 at 4:55 pm
Oh yes, thin ice, yet we skate on, having little choice but to hope the ice will hold. Awesome write!
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