A Lean Crew  by Nancy Schatz Alton

The only sturdy thing is my indecision

My waffling between menu items

Always invited laughter

When I needed to know:

French toast or waffles.

Yet mirth held its own blessing

Another vantage point

In a world fraught

With catastrophe.

What if falling is funny?

Our most irritating habits: lovable?

My slick analytical skills

Dance with every menu I meet

My loud laugh places me

As me. There’s only so many

Seats in the rowboat, anyway.

We need to throw

A few passengers overboard

For this ship to sail

Safely all the way home

You can borrow

My paddle.