Earthbound Transformation

Every morning, I look forward to seeing the “Word a Day” that is sent to me from the Wordsmith.org Internet site. The English language includes more than a million words, whereas most people typically use only about 5,000 words in their day-to-day speech and 10,000 words in their writing. Learning a new word a day won’t get us close to the one million mark, but  it’s a start!

A couple of weeks ago, I learned that the word “cremnophobia” means a fear of steep cliffs or precipices. That bit of knowledge gave me the idea for the following poem. You might want to make sure your feet are planted firmly on the ground before you read it!

                  Cremnophobia

If the devil took me up

to a precipice to tempt me,

I’d promise anything

to return to flat land.

If Jesus had invited me

to join him on the mountain top

to witness his transfiguration,

I would have politely declined.

If God instructed me to climb

the heights in exchange for a view

of the promised land, I’d say,

“I’ll take your word for it.”

I can expand my view plenty far on the plains

of Kansas, and cocooning myself at the base

of a tree trunk amidst leaf litter

is a fine way to undergo metamorphosis.

Earth promises that cremnophobia

doesn’t preclude transformation

for those who prefer the lowliness

                                                           of roots to the rush of wings.