Just In Time – Brittaina Goffy

Just In Time – Carol Forrester

It was always by the skin of your teeth,

a hair’s breadth,

a fingertip,

a quarter of an inch,

a whisker,

a jot,

just in time.

 

You had no interest in cushioning yourself,

instead you barrelled in full force

let the concrete skim past,

admired the scuffs on your skin from that last close call.

Did not look back to see how near it had really been

or how much wreckage you had left in your wake.

 

Watching you I could feel the hitch in my throat,

screams trapped behind my thorax

convinced that this time you’d crash,

you would burn and I would have to watch.

 

I did not have to watch.

In the end it was sudden and unexpected.

When I check my palms there were no half-moon scars

no pulse jumping beneath my skin,

just quiet

so heavy and dark you vanished into it

and were gone.

 

You were gone

and we were out of time.