training
by Marla
There's a schedule, they say, and maybe it's time
I get to know it by heart. You are always
that crucial last minute away, and there are so many
crowds to fight. Brave the lack of room; it won't
last forever, darling, and we won't ever run
out of air. Maybe I just have to shape and mold
the distance between our stations, learn
something new every day, because practice
pursues perfect, and who doesn't want to come close?
I am my own master, I will teach
myself to hang firm, sit still, know
which side the doors open on, know that just because
it isn't the smoothest of rides doesn't mean it won't
take us where we need to be. I will teach
myself to be mind the gap, so that nothing
falls through the cracks; I will teach
myself to be on guard, so that I never again wake up
having missed my stop. I will teach
myself to wait, to stand on the platform
of all the plans we've made.
