Reach Poem by Warren Augustus de Guzman

Standing on a wobbly chair
Reaching for something out of reach
By just the smallest of margins
A little less or a little more than an inch

It’s just there, in plain view
On the edge of a ledge a little to the right
So close you can touch it
Feel it, just its tip. The rest in clear sight

You reach farther a bit
But the wobbly chair forces you back
You try again and again
But you fail and fall back on the floor flat.

You get up again and stand
On the wobbly chair on your own
But now you’re scared
Of falling and hurting again all alone.

So you stand there for a while,
Upon the wobbly chair, and with all of your will
Stare at what you reach for
But you can’t reach far enough to reach it still.