Collected Poems 9
Senior Secrets
He always took pride in being able
To walk a straight line—
To put one foot forward
Then the other, with poise.
For years his guarded secret:
The act of walking.
With the supple strength
Of the crow's wing, gliding
As if borne on air, in flight.
In those days he never knew
What it meant to fall,
For he had never learned
To count time between seconds
Before landing
Like he has learned of late.