Nice Try

It was a really good effort,

and, to a degree,

it was successful:

I did fall back into that abyss

when you pushed me.

Last time, you threw me in it,

and I fell all the way to the bottom,

bones shattered on impact.

Not this time. I caught myself

on a ridge about halfway down

and saw all of the rage

I had to leave behind

because I was too weak

to carry it when I climbed out

last time.

It’s a terrible thing

with ferocious claws

and a beak that could snap you

like a twig. It thrives

on darkness and grew

in that empty well

and in me,

flew up to me,

cramping its wingspan

in this narrow pit so I

could climb on, pinning

my knees under its wings

to fly out of your abyss

on its back, and now

we’re hunting you.