We Manage To Stand
by Michael Doyle

Sunset captures fear's reflection
As the kitten meanders in the right direction
Unhungry and not seeking some timid mouse
But rather the warmth of the familiar house

Once the hunter, now the prey
The game of life has danger in its play
With a bounding leap, the chase is on
The kitten hides in shadows until the hounds are gone

With greater danger and nowhere to stay put
It was the perfect day to be trampled underfoot
But instead, there was a flood that kept coming
Until there was no point in trying the outrunning

Strange semi-friendships were formed on this day
This is the truth found along survival's way
Alone, there is a misery's need for company
Deeper  water brings life's uncomfortable sympathy

Layer by layer until there's nowhere left to go
Life is forced forward by the water's flow
Until we've found nothing more to do
But to do our best at being me and you

Finding no oar, we simply drift
Hoping that our fortune might shift
In the interim, we sail along the canopy
Finding ourselves stuck like monkeys in the trees

In uncertain times, life rushes by
We're only sure that we are unsure, but we still have to try
Scary things come along to fill us with dread
The best that we have is to do our best to duck our heads

Swimming to safety as best that we can manage
Out here in a world that is often savage
Hitching a ride wherever it is that we can
Alone but not alone in this world, we manage to stand

(c) February 25, 2025   Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved