Prepared

Involuntarily
one prepares
for each eventuality—

desired
or undesired

For all the possible outcomes
of a particular diagnosis
we encounter
hope
and finality

and struggle
as we vacillate
between the extremes

We call it faith

but perhaps
it is little more
than the remnant of hope
refusing to surrender

Even then
we prepare for the worst

quietly

without admitting
that preparation
is what we are doing

Our hope rides
a makeshift raft

while the waves of reality
keep dashing it
against the rocks

Still
we gather the pieces

tie them together again

and push ourselves
back into the water

because preparing
for the worst

is not the same
as wanting it

and hope—

however battered
however poorly constructed—

is still
what carries us

until we know 

Until we know
both futures are true

the one where we exhale
and the one
where we learn
how to say goodbye 

© Ron Simpson Jr. 

August 10, 2026