John Anderson Poet Free verse

Notes About The Poem

Straddling is safe with grips each side secure. But progress requires the flip flop position, secured on one side or the other, not looking down or back.

Note: The words here are simply delightful and deserve to be played with. Straddling with a foot in both camps is secure but precarious, as lifting one foot to swing over the fence is iffy and risks being impaled on the fence. Climbers straddle obstacles but only makes moves when three grip points are secured. Think in three’s not two’s on three legged stools.

Listen to poem:

Betwixt Straddle and Poised Precarious

Straddling is safe with grips each side secure,
    but progress requires the flip flop position, 
    secured on one side or the other, not looking down or back.
It’s iffy to lift a foot implanted
    with footholds secure in straddled camps.
To poise precarious with return annulled
    to go binary with uncertainties, with flip or flop.
It’s yeah or neigh, not betwixt nor between,
    for or against, not poised procrastinating
    nor straddling serendipitous with free fall.
Like a climber, securing three firm grips before
    letting one grip go, and reaching up for next handhold.
This keeps ambivalence under control,
    stepping adroitly and securely,
    without looking back or down,
    making assertive progress one step at a time
    on a three-legged stool.

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