The Sudden Tumble

I guess I’ll forever be looking
Over my shoulder
Into the yawning cavity
Of yesterdays
Wondering if the pursuer is closing.

Such is the ransom of loss.

No one over thirty sleeps well.
They will tell you they do
But the crows feet
At the corners of their eyes
Betray them.
That comes from staring into the sun
Reading the fateful inscription
Scribed in fiery ink.

Keep walking
I tell myself.
Don’t stop here
I say
As if constancy
And determination
Will cheat the hangman.

But truth is certain
And vengeance sure.
It isn’t the distance of the pursuit
That’s troubling.
It’s the sudden tumble into the void
That’s hard.