Step
Janet Kuypers
7/15/16
Step on a crack,
break your momma’s back.
Step on a land mine,
blow up your infantry.
Step on an IED,
blow up your military-grade Hum V,
not because you were at war
but because you were sent there
to try to keep the peace.
‘Cause if you’re not in a standing army
you can always improvise
and make explosive devices
to destroy an enemy
that’s only trying to keep the peace.
We’ve all taken that step before,
to lend a hand,
to help a blind man cross a street,
to help a mentally disabled teen
learn to swim across
the shallow end of the pool,
to open a door
for someone with their hands full,
to take some of the weight
from someone who has too much to carry.
We’ve all taken that step before,
and when we stepped into a war
we didn’t know that we were in
every generous move
could be our last.
That’s what we get for kindness.
That’s what we get for trying to lend a hand.
That’s what we get
for seeing those cracks in the road
and trying to help others
struggle through this maze of life.
Step on a crack,
break your momma’s back.
But be careful —
that crack could open into a gorge
and swallow you whole,
as that deepening crack
dines on your hopes and dreams.
So remember,
step lightly.
Check around you,
check above and below,
‘cause it’s a slippery slope
when you trade kindness for security.
You’ve stomped through life,
you’ve gotten ahead.
Just remember
when to step lightly,
and be prepared
with both that welcoming hand
and that big stick.
Be ready for every disaster —
and you’re ready at every glorious moment —
at every
single
step.
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