“
I used to fear the small things
like forgetting to take my vitamins,
sitting in the bath for so long I would shrivel up
and disappear or losing a tooth down the drain.
I still plug the sink when I’m brushing my teeth
but now the world is much larger
and forces words onto your tongue you do not understand
like bills and insurance, sickness and death.
I’ve learned there are much bigger things to fear
than wrinkles on your fingers.
I’ve been told that love is the biggest thing to fear,
but I’ve never been afraid of falling. What I am afraid of
is that one day my heart is going to stand up and walk away
without a note taped to kitchen counter saying,
‘I’ll be home soon, don’t wait up.’
