better to not play catch on the roof
better to not get your fingers caught in a snow blower
better to not get struck by lightening on a golf course
better to not fall onto subway tracks during rush hour
better to not eat sliced ham from the leftovers
better to not use condoms that have sat too long in the drawer
better to not undress by the big picture window
better to not dive in on the first day of january
better to not ask where your lover’s been sleeping
better to not look when he sticks in the needle
better to not paddle when the river runs swollen
better to not cry when the thief steals your money
better to not rage when the beggar is kicked
better to not write when your heart is unsettled
better to not sing when the tune is forgotten
better to not play when the rules have been lost
better to not buy when the coupon’s gone missing
better to not click when the screen has gone blank
better to not shout when the forest is blazing
better to not turn the key in the deadbolt
better to not hold a dying man’s hand
better to not eat honey while sitting on ant hills
better to not dance when the gym floor is trembling
better to not hold on if there’s nothing to cling to
better to not pace when the worrying’s done
better to not fling once the mud has caked over
better to not tie when the cargo seems worthless
better to not fight when the cause is cerebral
better to not paint if the walls might get dirty
better to not scour when the tiles hurt the knees
better to not remember the pain we once felt
better to not sail when the water is choppy
better to not sleep after darkness has fallen
better to not eat what once grew in the dirt
better to not tune what will only fall flat
better to not pluck if the strings might snap
better to not jump where the ceiling is low
better to not walk in case the nimbler ones laugh
better to not reason where truth goes unheard
better to not shine where the bushel stands idle
better to not wash what deserves to be filthy
better to not give to those who are flagrant
better to not travel with those who might wake
better to not drink with those doubled over
better to not skip for rope is a weapon
better to not weep than to summon cold comfort
better to not live than to smile at our scars