I am brave, independent and pretty darn tough!

I go for hikes in the jungle-like woods

alone.

I am not afraid of the poisonous snakes hiding in my path.

I do not fear the wild boars rustling in the bushes,

I am not scared of the monkeys bearing their teeth.

I walk through that trail,

smile on my face,

sweat dripping down my cheeks,

while my mind solves all of my problems

from the week past.

(rustle, rustle)

Shiver down the spine,

neck quickly turning,

eyes searching,

ears straining,

short screech.

Okay, well, perhaps I am just a little bit afraid,

but it hasn’t stopped me yet.

**A man once told me that a little bit of fear is important, it keeps us on our toes and keep us safe. The same man also said that I reminded him of Punky Brewster, so I wasn’t sure if I should trust him. **

As the moon rises in the sky,

illuminating the tiny island on which I sleep.

The stars twinkle all around,

convincing me to abadon the rain cover of my tent.

The kayaks in the distance catch my eye,

inviting me to paddle through the night.

The phosphorescence sparkle in the water,

begging me to dance through their glittery magic.

The fire crackles in the distance,

drawing me in to warm my chilly toes.

The boars grunt in the bushes,

scaring me into the safety of my tent.

The cicadas sing from the trees,

drifting me off to dream land.

The rain drizzles from the clouds,

waking me from my slumber.

The struggle to attach my rain cover in the dark,

reminding me never to sleep without it again. 

Slither on little snake,

slither on.

I see you there crossing my path

with your sleek vibrant green body

mesmerizing

with your

shimmering red scales

along your tail.

Intimidating

with your perfectly formed sphinx pose

while sliding past

as your beady eyes glare my way.

Slither on little snake

there is nothing to see here

simply a girl

unable to sphinx quite as high as you.

There is no competition here,

slither on little snake,

slither on.

Heads down

concentrating

on their

palm

holding

the screen

below

missing

the smiles

the frowns

the nods

–

quickly

feet

pitter- patter

down the hall

faster

thoughts spinning

into a web

creating

endless lists

of

tasks

yet to complete

conversations

to initiate

browsing

fingers clicking

chatting

to others

across the town

over the ocean

far

far

away

–

Ignoring

those smiles

those nods

those salutations

face-to-face

in the moment

the very present

passing you by

missed opportunities

lost interactions

never repeated

lost

forever.

The counter

to

the

floor

it falls once

maybe twice

In my bag it tumbles

from the bus seat

to

the

ground

time and time again

Off the table

to

the

tiles

sometimes open

sometimes closed

From the couch

to

the

rug

it tumbles down

down

down

After every

fall

to the floor

the ground

the tiles

the rug

my trusty computer

shines it’s lights

with bravery

and pride

for surviving another

near-death encounter

The lives remaining

dwindle

The end

drawing

near

Rainbow lines

pixilations

appear

glimmering

across the screen

distorting

 my words

Yes

the end is near