On A Foot Bridge Too Narrow by M.J. Iuppa

We knew, at once, this meeting would end in impasse.

We walked towards each other on a rough-edged plank.          

Below the icy river raged, too dark to gauge; too swift

for safety. I won’t dive in. You can’t fly off. What to do?

Stand here, face to face, looking into each other’s dark

eyes, waiting for the first move? Stalemate, standoff,

deadlock— which one of us will turn our backs & slip

away? Which one of us will follow two steps behind,

like a crouching shadow? We could be stalled here for-

ever, not ready to shift forward or back.





M.J. Iuppa ‘s fourth poetry collection is This Thirst (Kelsay Books, 2017).  For the past 30 years, she has lived on a small farm near the shores of Lake Ontario. Check out her blog: mjiuppa.blogspot.com for her musings on writing, sustainability & life’s stew.