I Am Standing On A Ledge Poem by Riley Choma

I'm standing on a ledge.
It is so high up that I can hardly breathe.
I constantly wonder if I should step back or step down off of it.
You see- this ledge is a sort of crossroad.
If I jump I might find my wings, but maybe the havoc-wreaking wind will also cut them.
And if I step back maybe I will learn to be happily discontent.
Or maybe I will be just discontent…
Discontent- what a way to live.
Standing firmly on the ground but being so ungrounded.


I am standing on a ledge.
I have been here for so long that I am becoming listless for life.
I am wiggling my toes off the ledge and imagining- just how freeing would it be to fall?
You see- the outcome of jumping isn't certain, but it is also far from confining.
This is not contemplation suicide, but this is heavily premeditated murder.
And once I jump you may well understand that this isn't who I was meant to be.
Or maybe you will call me wrong…
Wrong- all because you think you are more entitled to the outlining of my definity than I.
Labeled but not well defined.

This ledge is a sort of crossroad.
It is immediately between preconceived notions and who I want to be.
I am planning my jump and my recovery: my renewal.
You see- my renewal can't occur without a little death.
This is premeditated murder, but only of the person you thought I was.
And once I plunge you are either going to accept it or mourn the me you knew, while scorning the real me.
Or maybe you will simply ignore the fall…
Refusal of acknowledging my identity- all because I am not filling the mold you have given me.
I will be identifying but this time only for me.