The thing
about retirement
is that staring
at the horizon
can make you
hallucinate
after a lifetime of
cautiously watching your feet
on the rock-strewn path of life
to avoid a washout;

The truth
is that cautious attention
to your footing can be
just as ill-fated
as ignoring it altogether because you might
miss the adventures
waiting on the overlooked sidepath
or the glorious waterfall to your left
just because you thought those wet rocks were
too risky to venture;

The fact
is that the horizon can take you off cliffs and
into box canyons where a flash flood
might drown you but
sometimes that delicious and
glorious mirage of palm trees
shading cool pools of water
might be worth
the thirst of the burning sun
and the scorpion’s sting.