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Critical Failure
Failure to launch in every direction;
Ran out of fuel before firing the rocket.
Time for some long internal reflection;
Retool the nav and reschedule the docket.
Lost in the black with no way to light it;
Missing in action way out on the ocean.
Time to get back to dock at the island;
Reread the map and then call the patrol in.
Totaled the car far down on the highway;
Road was cut off, there was nowhere to turn it.
Time to get towed; a terrible Friday.
Review the policy on the insurance.
Nosediving down, the engine is stalling;
Nowhere to land and the pilot can’t drive her.
Brace for the crash, and pray while you’re falling.
After the wreck you can look for survivors.
Not every tale will have happy endings;
Nothing to be done except for move forward.
Time will still pass; the cracks are still mending.
Redo the steps once the crisis is over.
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Bennett Chatigny is a singer, songwriter, and poet from Ottawa, Canada.
A good ‘where we are now’ piece.
Onward we go to the end of all days
No turning back or replaying the plays.
The last stanza is as happy as it gets, I guess.
Nice work, Bennett
I enjoy the very subtle wryness of this work. It treats the subject of failures — from mishaps to outright disasters — in a melodic cadence with cynical conclusions. The contrast is very effective. But it ends on a high note, not of cynicism, but of realism: we all must move on. Thank you!