day 8. courage/Our Lost Jungle

                        

I watched him stand on the precipice

then simply step forward and plunge.
It takes courage, I said, to parachute, but he had
a choice, he did it for the thrill of it, I guess
and to me it was tinged with foolhardiness.

On TV I see a woman get into a tank

of sharks.  She probably weighed
the possibilities and thought she was 99% safe.
She was scientific, had pretty good odds unless…
Still I see that as foolishness.

Others simply love speed, in the sky, on land

the Lindbergs, Yeagers, Greens and Campbells
need to get there faster and faster.
I know it takes bravery to dare to be rad
but still to me it’s just...  mad.

Then I see a young mother of three

standing by a mound of earth
or parents holding the hand
of a dying child in a hospital bed.
Their courage won’t be a statistic to be read.

There are different kinds of bravery

and distinctive reasons to be
but for those who have no choice,
and decide to try even when to quit
or walk away would be easier – that takes grit!