Sitting on the Rim

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He felt unsettled
As he sat on the rim
Of the canyon.
Unsettled by the vastness below
And the distance beyond.
A feeling of smallness,
The irrational urge to leap –
Then the soaring condor
Caught his eye.
Now buoyed by the vastness
Of air and space
He took in the whole panoramic view.

Coming home,
I walk inside feeling unsettled.
Feeling unsettled,
I am pushed out to the rim
Of consciousness.
The vastness below
And the distance beyond
Make me weak.
There are a hundred ways
To turn back
In search of firm, familiar, solid ground.
But today I will sit on the rim
Feeling unsettled
Waiting for the condor
To assure a grander view.

- Charles Kinnaird



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