Downside
The bottom of the cellar stair
has caught me, sometimes, unaware,
with thoughts the floor is right below
while having one more tread to go.
One night from trekking I came back
and headed down with tent and pack,
without a bruise, a break or twist
until that final step got missed.
To urgent care I soon applied
and offered history, modified.
I gave the sprain a manly spin—
left “basement” out, put “hiking” in.
Phil Huffy is a reformed lawyer from Rochester, New York. After hobbying for years as a songwriter and solo performer, he had received all the indifference available in his immediate vicinity. Turning to poetry, he has been able to tap new sources worldwide. Recent placements include Better Than Starbucks, Westward Quarterly, The Lyric, and Poets Reading The News.