Stepping off the edge…
I stepped out onto the ledge in the darkness only to discover another ledge and another darkness.
I did this for as long as I could remember.
So much so that the stepping to the edge became the journey and I was no longer afraid to fall.
Fear, although my guide at times, was never my master.
Though I traversed the paths of empathy and compassion, Beauty was ever my constant companion.
On my final ascent
Standing at the peak of those Mountains
And steeped in the depths of my own personal valleys
She was there ever by my side.
By chance
I caught a glimpse
Quite unexpectedly
Over my left shoulder
Of those I had lead
Those I had followed
And those forever beside me unwavering.
One last gaze into the final darkness
With shoulders squared for the final stride.
My eyes wide recalled
I had lived so large
So loud with such intention
And loved so fiercely
That Death cowered to take me.