Sitting on the steps
staring at the sidewalk,
lost in thoughts I no longer remember.
Movement broke the clear
nothingness of the moment.
My eyes focused now --
studying the walk
searching until they found
the source of the disturbance.
An insect, small and nondescript.
On his back, legs grasping at the sky,
trying to gain a foothold in the air.
Ignorant,
I leaned forward and turned him over
thinking to give him the footing he was so desperately seeking.
He fell over on his back,
legs again grasping at the sky.
Now quickly, now slowly, now not at all.
And as I watched,
powerless to help or heal,
I began to understand
the fear of the unknown
and will to live
that is in us all.
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