Only this pit is bottomless, waiting for me to fall.

To swallow me up.

To end me.

The rope I walk leads nowhere.

It just goes on.

And on..

And on...

Stretching to infinity.

Every now and then I wobble.

I lose my balance.

Sometimes I manage to keep from falling.

Other times it is by my fingers.

Gathering the strength to pull up.

And resume the precarious balance called living.

More and more I see those who fall.

I wonder why I haven't yet.

Is it for those I still care about?

Is it a willingness not to give up?

Is it plain old stubbornness?

I can't answer that in full.

It could be a bit of each.

You'd think with practice I would find my balance more.

But life doesn't work that way.

It throws you off balance more.

It pushes you more.

It hurts you more.

Life wants to see you fall.

It wants to see you fail.

To hurt.

To bleed.

Indeed life, in its ultimate irony, can be the biggest curse.

Those of us who are not so fortunate to be gifted into a good family.

Into good health.

Into a good mind.

Are destined to struggle until we get lucky.

And for some, luck never comes around...

But still I shall try and I shall try.

To keep from falling.

On this tightrope called life.

And just pray my line doesn't break.