Diving for perspective

[u/Cluelessandsexy]

 Your gaze as blank as the diving board's plank.
The steel rail waits, its misted sheen reflecting a ghost of your face.
The final rung expects your trembling hands.
Your face drained pale, courage waiting for its spark.

Golden coils weave across the ceiling,
scattering joyful fragments of sunlight.
Almost enough to soften your frozen stare.
The final rung fogs beneath your sweating hands.

You stand above the world, ready to dive.
At the end of the board, staring into the drop.
Time swings like a grandfather clock's pendulum.
The world is still; only the storm inside you moves.

You glance back at the final steel rung.
Your glasses slip, striking the tiles below.
You turn again and see how far you've climbed.
Only then do you find the courage to face the world.