Life Ever After

Life ever after,

measured in cautious breathes

and darting glances.

Looking for the tribulation,

waiting for the other shoe to fall.

Nothing so scary

as the unknown,

of what could have been,

what should have been,

and if only.

Reaping windfalls

or gaping wounds.

Fate deals uneven hands,

stacked against you from the start.

Dying from birth.

Cradle to grave.

It's all the stuff in between

that fills you up,

weights you down,

brings bloom or wither.

The next big step.

The last hurrah.

The life

you live now

or the life ever after.