There were some people

There were some people

I may have known as friends,

Even though their uneven presence

Through the hard times begs to differ,

Who called upon me to lean further

Than the edge.

To look far out into the abyss

To catch a better glimpse of what lay below.

The wend of the river

A silvery thread catching the light

Spidering across a patchwork floor

The unyielding heft of the abutment

Carrying an aqueduct

Over the canyon

The wonder of its construction.

None of this did go unseen

The lean, just enough for safe observation

When to venture further carried foolish risk.

What of friendship that demands more

Than should be necessary

To preserve the nature of progress.

There is no benefit in bending

To the taunts of false prophets

Sideline chancers

Hoping to witness a fall

Do I really need these friends at all

Who would not stand by

In times of fret and crisis?

Nothing could be further from the truth

I have my own counsel

The wisdom of survival

When to bow to a derisive jibe

Directed with venom,

(Bullies deflect

Their pain and seek to blame the innocent),

Would only fuel their belief

That their power was greater

When applied complete with a mocking hiss

A sly dig, a traitor's kiss.

True friendship is a thing of beauty

Not a commodity

To be bartered with the back of a hand,

A provocative challenge

Delivered with a scornful smile,

I have at least learned this much

And will now lean just far enough

To leave a safe place

Between the edge and the open space

For you to lean with me.