In Patient

You stunk at thinking
About the landing.
You tried. You worried,

But it was daunting,
Likely to go bad,
And, if you thought hard,

You’d never be brave
And stupid enough
To try any jump.

You studied the board
Too long and then moved
Too impulsively.

You passed on the gaps
In traffic, anxious,
Until you gunned it

In desperation
When there was no gap.
You read all the signs,

All the maps, guidebooks,
And memoirs, until
You felt bewildered

And then you just left,
Which never worked out,
And so now you’re back.