Before Impact

© 1999 M. W. Anderson
All rights reserved.

It is falling very slowly
But it is a massive, heavy thing
As I look up at its multifaceted surface,
As it moves ever closer—
I see each line, crack and crevice
It is complex in its size and shape
It is more ragged, sharp and hurtful
Than I could ever have imagined
And as I begin to grasp the magnitude
Of all that will be affected by the blow
It seems quite odd that I would notice
The rate of its slow, methodic approach
All the while understanding that
I cannot step aside
And in this moment before impact
I realize that all of my efforts
Toward preparation and acceptance
Were exercises in futility
Nothing could have prepared me
For its inevitable delivery
But it is falling very slowly
Which gives me too much time to think

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