This is for falling which is so close to failing
or to falter or fill; as in I faltered when I heard
you were here; as in I filtered you out
of my life; as in I’ve had my fill of falling:
a fall from grace, a fall from God,
to fall in love or to fall through the gap,
snow fall, rain fall, falling stars,
the house falls into disrepair,
to fall in with the wrong crowd,
to fall out of love, to fall like Jessica
who fell down a well and watched
the bright disc of the sun and moon
slowly passing, for twins who start
so close together they must fall
apart for the rest of their lives
or be damned, to fall down a hill
like a brother, to follow like a sister,
to be a field and fall fallow, to fall pregnant,
for vertigo, the cousin of falling,
for towers and stairs and pavements
which are the agents of falling,
for the white cliff top of a bed,
for climbers and roofers and gymnasts,
for the correct way to fall,
loose-limbed and floppy,
to fall apart after death,
for ropes and fences and locks
which carry the act of falling inside,
for fall which over the ocean
means Autumn, which means leaves
like coins of different colours
dropped from the pockets of trees,
which means darker evenings,
which means walks with the dogs,
which means walking alone
and not falling apart at the sound
of your name, which God
help me, sounds like falling.
