Knife Edge Poem by Paul Reed

I walked along for many years

On a pavement, flat and wide

Perhaps not perfectly flat

But a safe enough ride;



A simple defining of the days

Sky blue mornings, nights of soot

Then a knife with sharpened blade

That scored and slashed and cut;



Is this just getting old?

The taking away of the gifts

One by one they are falling

Where once they used to lift;



Let me run and swim and dance

In those days that I so miss

Now all done on a knife edge

On this deathly precipice.