If I’m courageous enough
I’ll jump off a 43 foot cliff holding hands with
raindrops as they dive from the clouds.
They’ll leave leopard spots in the algae on
top of water that my mother wouldn’t swim in.
If I’m courageous enough
I’ll give a speech in front of a sea of eyes that expose me
with their unzipped voices. If I’m courageous enough maybe
I’ll read a book I don’t yet understand;
instead,
I’ll watch the words stand to waltz off the page
and praise
they’re free because they disagreed with their author.
If I’m courageous enough I’ll choose
something my parents don’t approve of as I quote Aristotle:
“Every art and every inquiry is thought to aim at some good.”
If I’m courageous enough I'll tell a loved one
What I really think and we’ll both stare at each other
while hoping I didn’t do too much damage.
If I’m courageous enough
I’ll work hard for an unpromised future as an ant works through the night: Maybe I’ll plant a few seeds.
If I’m courageous enough
I’ll love like a steamed little-
neck clam that only opens when it’s
burned.
If I’m courageous enough I’ll propose
to someone I love more than the sunset standing behind her
when ladies in late winter dinner parties gossip that I’m too young to
make a sound decision.
If I’m courageous enough I’ll hold my head under a wave
And fill my mouth with sand
while someone gives me advice:
In a month I’ll tell myself that their idea was mine.
If I’m courageous enough I’ll stare
At my reflection in a lake and tell him to listen to others.
He’ll pull me into the water and
stuff a diamond in my windpipe as he retorts:
“If I’m not
courageous enough
I’ll drown in this lake alone.”
Bronson Brockschmidt has been writing for over two years and has taken almost five semesters of creative writing class under Dr. Daniel Altenberg. He founded The Creatures of the Night haunted house with his twin brother, and recently placed among the top three in the Catalina Foothills High School poetry contest. His writing often explores philosophical questions like: How do we become good human beings while achieving happiness? What is the purpose of art? What is so special about humans? And: What is the role of our feelings and desires?
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