The Parachute

"Too bad people didn’t fall in love at the same pace, 

at the same time, 

for the same reasons, 

and too bad those emotions didn’t move simultaneously. 

But each act of madness moved at its own pace, 

one not dependent on the pace of anyone else. 

It wasn’t like tandem skydiving, 

where you were connected as you fell, 

where you were forced to fall at the same rate

 and use the same parachute. 

Falling in love was a solo act. 

I knew that, had learned that the hard way. 

You just jumped and hoped your parachute opened.

 Sometimes you looked up

 and saw you were falling by yourself, 

the object of your desire still on the plane, 

not interested in jumping, 

watching you descend into that scary place alone."

-- Pleasure by Eric Jerome Dickey