Poem # 2

Hoops
Encircling our minds
Jump!
They shout
We leap…
A split-second too late
Now our world
Cranks sideways
We tick
They tock
We crash
The hoop
Laughs,
Splits in two
Perfectly symmetrical halves
Daring us
To try again
Till our brains
Puddle at our feet
Or we learn
To walk away.

Barbara Mundt