Fingernails bleed,
worn ragged
with gripping
the lip of the abyss.

Clawing its crumbling edge
struggling to see light above,
she won't look down
at the blackness below.

Arms and fingers burn
with the strain of holding on,
the spark of light flickers
ominously.

And she wonders,
will she sink like a stone
or float like a feather
to the bottom?

E Auger