The Uncertainty Of What Lies Ahead (To M.Z.) Poem by Martin Patrick McCarthy

When I heard the news, I imagined you lying in bed
Troubled by the uncertainty of what lies ahead.
I imagined you looking at your legs, cursing
Their fickle use, while a stranger stands over you nursing.
I imagined you taking the news of possible paralyzation
Stoically, tempered with trepidation.

Going to college, your first play, a first kiss - all inspire fear,
The uncertainty mounts when they approach near
But passes; you look around and say, 'Well, I am still here.'

Your friends are here; they will catch you when you fall,
Lean on them and you will stand tall.
For the uncertainty of what lies ahead bear in mind
THAT uncertainty always becomes the certainty the past leaves behind.

(13 April 1997)