THE ACROBAT
I did not ask you to stand on your hands for me
nor turn your life upside down
or walk a tightrope without a net.
I would not have gone on your trapeze
had I known how distracted you could be
or how hard the fall would be
while you still held on to me.
I did not ask you to do you juggling act
with two or three in the air at a time
showing off your skill with the yo-yo
while dancing off the stage on tippy toe.
I did not ask for the grand handstand.
I wanted your hands to be free
so they could reach out to me.
(From: Out Of Love And Other Poems, by Kitty Madeson (1993) Stone Soup Poets, Boston.)
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