the edge

i stand swaying at the edge
that calls me forward
to a fatal drop

no voices call me back
no hands reach to pull me
only the wind pushes

i want to turn a walk away
to free myself from the
inevitable collision

but i go ahead and drop
face forward down the cliff
to my own demise

and as i fall i see the crowd
of onlookers who stood
silent in my contemplation

they jump after me
following my lead as i realize
my influence was great

and now they tumble down behind
and i realize why they didn't
call me back from the edge

they were waiting to see
what i would do and how
i would respond

but i jumped
so they did too
off the edge and to the rocks

and it was my fault
that they went over the edge
because i led them