A Real Cliffhanger
It was tranquil sultry August, and the birds were singing,
The insects were all buzzing, and toad frogs were springing.
And I was deep in the mountains, taking snapshots of nature;
For I felt I was a good photographer, though only an amateur.
A few of my best photographs, were winners of local contests,
Which encouraged and inspired me, to keep doing my very best.
So I wandered into the golden day, seeking the perfect shot;
And briefly it is mystery, what image the camera has caught!
I began these outings early, and I usually stayed all the day;
And after stalking beauty, I would just watch the robins play.
I always packed a nice lunch, for these weekend days of glory,
When wild nature was encouraged, once more to tell her story!
Today my travels had brought me, to the verge of a high cliff,
With scenic sights and sea air, so fresh I took a big whiff.
Varying blue sky and green sea, made me desirous of a photo,
So I crept near the cliff's edge, in noon sunshine so yellow.
As I was about to snap the pic, I felt a quaking beneath me,
And as the ground gave way, I plunged toward depthless sea!
I desperately reached out, and my hand found a tree so small;
But I hung onto it desperately, hoping that I wouldn't fall.
Far I was now from the rocks below, but also far from the top,
Like a bloom that wilts too soon, and needs a destiny swap!
I hung there in the sun and breezes, it seemed for many hours,
Until I had the worst of luck, like when old passion sours.
I felt the tree begin to loosen, until it finally came free,
And I resumed my hopeless descent, with one last look to sea.
Time seemed to slow down, and I heard a soft voice in my head.
"No need to be afraid, for I am the woodland fairy," it said.
Then I hit the large stones, but felt nothing from the crash,
And I immediately arose unhurt, without even slightest whiplash!
"Thank you, kind woodland fairy," I murmured to enchanted air.
"A kindness to match yours, is difficult to find anywhere."
I even found my camera, which had fallen a short distance away,
And though it was now badly dented, it still worked fine anyway.
I returned to nature's hallway, a path through blooms and trees,
And the crimson birds sang me home, with the sweetest melodies!
I didn't know it at that time, but I was irrevocably changed,
In that I'd never feel pain again, for we were ever estranged.
Like the scintillating sun, is estranged from glimmering moon;
And the fading away of the one, means the other is coming soon!
It gradually came to my awareness, just what to me had occurred,
For whenever I had a calamity, not the slightest pain answered.
I spent a short period of time, in great shock and disbelief,
Like the tree standing frozen in winter, because it has no leaf!
But gradually it dawned upon me, how genuinely fortunate I was;
And I wanted to pay it forward, by finding myself a worthy cause.
So with joyful determination, I began training to be a doctor,
Like the rainbow after storm, finds magical colors to conjure!
The good years came and went, putting dazzling silver in my hair,
Like moonlight that comes pouring, down heaven's illumined stair!
I got the illustrious nobel prize, and graced the cover of Time,
For inventing new methods, that saved other lives in their prime.
I kept from all the world, the mysterious secret of my painlessness,
For I'd nothing to gain, and the questions would have been endless.
Like the crickets' endless chorus, of their raucous evening calls,
Or the neverending cascade, of sparkling clear water over the falls.
And I'm thankful for the life I lived, that's brought me such joy,
Like a prizewinning photograph, of a healthy child with a new toy!
Copyright © Evelyn Judy Buehler | Year Posted 2020
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