Open

Courage in short supply,
I sneak peeks at what is real,
Endings, emptiness, something gone,
and when gone, a space appears,
open for my own timid gaze.

Cowardly cosmonaut, I squint
my eyes, turn every which way,
try to recapture what was familiar
and dear, all to no avail.

For a moment or so, fleeting grace
of simply beholding the open space,
knowing it is harbinger of the new,
tempting me to let go
of what has already ended.

During those small moments
I feel wonder and curiosity.
Alas, only small moments,
amid a sea of clinging and grasping.

Oh, to be brave
And jump right in!
Like kamikaze cosmonaut,
Glamour adventuress,
Heroine of the unknown!

Ha ha ha.