Clumsy Me

Clumsy Me


I fell here
     For the first time.
Not my first
     Time falling.
My first time
     Falling here.

And how I fell,
     How I’ve fallen:
Up stairs,
     Down stairs;
Out of bed,
     Into slumber;
On sidewalks,
     Cracked and smooth;
Out of clothes,
     Out of minds;
From dance floors,
     Damned wet floors:

Knees scraped,
Tailbone bruised,
Palms bloodied,
Ankles swollen.

And how I’ve fallen:
     Short of God’s grace,
     From on high—
     Gravity’s curse—
     Love’s lumbering curse.