treading softly through the wild tangles strewn at your feet,
you sidestep gingerly,
avoiding the prominent pitfalls that threaten to snag your every step
coming to a clearing,
the path ahead look innocuous enough

cautiously, you take a step
then another
before long, a chorus of footsteps blithely rings out

you careen down the fairway
anticipating the takeoff,
transiting from motion to flight

elevation affords you a new vantage point
and your eyes scour the path you've just streaked through

nettles and thorns
brambles and bushes
dot the seemingly clear ground
your limbs are scratched,
thorns embedded within your skin
and your heart leaks out through your gaping openness

plummeting
freefalling
innocence lost in a fleeting instance