over the Seas of all I Saw

My abdomen tensed,
I keep rigid, reaching ahead,
while my body precariously teeters
on regrets, anxiety, and self-doubt -
over a void; this absence
of faith in mankind.

Stretched out taut like superman,
Arms ahead of me, indomitable,
I do not give up on the future.

My feet kick against air,
floundering in uncertainty
and a hindsight still 20/100.

The muscles of my stomach
Stay hardened against doubt
as I balance my worn wire frame,
with tongue in teeth and belly tight.
I pivot on the set stone of my past,
sharpened by years of regret, doubt, fear
as it grinds against my navel.

Memories stick to my mouth
like static charged cling-wrap;
muffling my words, stopping my breath.

What an awkward sculpture I must make;
some giant, clumsy desk doodad,
like dipping dolphins and pecking birds.

I dare not leave my strained stance.
I will not fold over this unforgiving axle.
I cannot lose sight of future, of destination,
and drown lost in seas of fruitless lament.