Swaying Bridges
All my life, I have created with my hands and heart
Poured sweat, feeling, blood and tears
Into bridges, spans to cross gulfs and join
Together, different places, emotions
Friendships, loves and simple connections.
Some have been simple things
A log laid over a small stream called
Minor difference of opinion
Others more stable, a graceful sculpture of
Wood, covered in vine, a protected crossing
Into the comfort and safety of another
Yet seldom do my bridges seem to last
And I beg to understand why
Is it the failure of the architect, a design
With faults built in, or the workman who can't
Follow the necessary blueprint
Or the supplier with shoddy materials not up to the standard
But my spans always seem to fail
Or get lost
The log, now overgrown with moss, lost in the weeds
Of a forgotten dry creek, in woods seldom travelled
The covered arch, resplendent in vine,
Now nothing but a tumble of charred timber
Caught in swirling rapids
So many connections, so many failures
The tools get put away, dust settles on the drafting board
Yet a meeting then stirs of something
Inspired me to begin anew
Much contemplation on the design
So with heart and soul I spare no expense
Foundations stones of enormity
Granite that is timeless and forever
Girders of tempered steel and iron, to withstand
The hurricanes and earthquakes that assail
Any relationship
Safety nets for the pedestrians off to the sides
In the naive belief never would a jumper
Use my bridge for self destruction
And finally out of it all, the banner ribbon is strung
A snip and open is this creation
That crosses over the chasms in my soul
I run and meet you with abandon in the middle
Of this impregnable, indomitable structure
And dance and love and open all to you
Then suddenly the music stops
And the dance is over
Blame against me, excuses put on me
“You made the record skip; your clumsy feet pulled the power cord"
"Oh why? Oh why did you stop the music?" is screamed
Ripping my soul
Simple small things, a reach to reset the needle
Hands can place back the plug
Nothing major or insurmountable when done together
Then as you walk to the rail
I see that which I had missed
Like Al-Qaeda, a fedayeen in the midst of jihad
You’re loaded with explosives galore
And the dance was just an excuse, a time delay
To get yourself into position
So over the rail, punching through safety nets
And leaving behind a package not of love
But full of destruction, you launch yourself
And sadly it detonates
Leaving all in crumbling ruin
The massive beams, what was thought to be
Unshakable foundations
The family that needs you loves you
And of course myself
And as I rise bleeding from ears, eyes and soul
I see that one girder lies crooked and precarious
Hanging over the chasm
Heat twisted, scarred and out of balance
And now I reach out a crushed hand
trying to steady the shaking remains
Now I stagger upon unsteady legs
And begin to walk across this chasm
That you threw yourself in, wringing destruction
As you willing left all behind
I stumble as the beam twist and turns
Yet cross it I must
For I have no desire to stay isolated anymore
And see a chance at peace upon the other side
May the fates still the winds
The grounds not tremble and dislodge this connection
For I truly want to escape this to move on and into
A better world where sound materials wait
Better designs beg for the builders
And come together with another
To build together a new span
To jointly build a new connection
So I tremble and creep
Out into the wide gaping rent in things
May my balance return
My legs be steady and Kismet
Finally brush me with a gentle hand