If You Were Dead, Wouldn'T You Know It? Poem by Patti Masterman

I try to stay out of dangerous situations
Because I'm afraid of that voice, the one that stays silent too long,
Like a hidden snake, until the perfect moment comes along;
Like when you are standing 69 stories up, on a rooftop
Admiring the view, and suddenly the voice struggles to wake up
And it tells you to jump off- only it's not so much in words,
But more like a feeling, that nudges you closer to the edge, just a little closer..

The same voice, always telling you the left lane is clear,
Just move on over, no need to be so assiduous;
If there were a car there, you would have noticed its coming.
Go ahead and eat the macaroni salad, if it were bad
They wouldn't have set it out for the guests to eat, all afternoon long.
Go ahead and marry this guy- let's face it, you're never going to do better,
With your lack of looks, and he's sharp- he'll keep you alive at least.
Go ahead and climb in the coffin- if you weren't already dead,
Someone would have mentioned it by now.