A Near Miss
Oct 2 2022
When all the near misses
are added up
it gives you pause.
What never happened
— a whole bunch of nothing
a negative number —
that comes out to something good.
The zig, where you could have zagged,
the fork in the road
you tossed the dice
and opted left.
Who knows
what disaster was averted,
yet where's the gratitude
when you don’t even know what you’ve missed?
Nothing you did, or even deserved.
The fall-out of the gods
— petty, indifferent
squabbling among themselves —
raining down on us
like Biblical plagues,
or just as likely blessings
we claim for ourselves.
The near miss
you get down on your knees
and give impassioned thanks for.
And the direct hit
that leaves you convinced
a target's on your back.
But mostly, you're simply oblivious;
because what didn't happen doesn't count
even though it all adds up.
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