Under Pressure
a Poem by Raquel Swann
I am a dam protecting
A city from ruin.
An unwatched pot
Coming to a boil.
A parachute as others
Approach the ground.
For if I fail,
What will become of them?
Forsaking happiness
For the pleasure of those
Who no longer care.
What if I could live
Under the dam
On the edge
While others stand ground?
Could I not turn on the stove
And walk away from
A different pot?
Could I not leap from
An airplane hoping
Someone else will open for me?
There are rewards to reap
With unwavering vigilance!
I can’t see beyond these
Walls I have built.
