21 grams

 
   
   
   
"Now I lay me down to sleep,  
I pray the Lord my Soul to keep;
  
If I should die before I 'wake,
  
I pray the Lord my Soul to take."  
 
--Traditional Children's Prayer  
 
Walking a balance beam,  
aware I might fall--  
or fail to stick the landing  
 
I covet the innocence of children,  
who, without reservation, believe in Santa Claus,  
the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy.  
 
I contemplate Jacob Marley  
and his chains, and recoil  
at the ponderous weight.  
 
What deals might I strike?  
A sign experienced through my senses?  
A vision of the risen Christ?  
 
It comes down to this:
dismount the balance beam,  
entrusting all else to a leap of faith.