STEADY
There are ways of being steady—
unmoving, like a rock,
or in an even motion,
like metronome or clock.
Practicing balance, like a tree
rooted and branching.
With intention, I found my place
and held it, trembling.
Another form of steadiness
is simply not to fall.
Be ready to flee or stay.
Change happens to us all.
*
Anne Whitehouse’s most recent poetry collection is Outside from the Inside (Dos Madres Press, 2020), and her most recent chapbook is Escaping Lee Miller (Ethel Zine and Micro Press, 2021). She is also the author of a novel, Fall Love, and has recently published several essays about Edgar Allan Poe. www.annewhitehouse.com