ALL HEALTHY MEN
Philip W. Perna
I came upon a man
On the ledge of a bridge
Looking down at Death
And a steely vessel passing by
Where the water peeled, folded, and churned
Over its skin agleam with rivets and porthole eyes.
I said: “Do you truly mean to do it, friend?”
“I do not,” he answered;
“But to know simply that I can
Is a comfort.”
So I climbed over the rail,
Stood on the ledge beside him,
And waited for the solace
To roll in with the tide.
