One Wrong Choice

May make the difference There are people you will find In the crossroads of your life To be toxic They are the bringers down The manipulators The destroyers That are never to be trusted They will lead you To the worst in yourself and others Never the best Their very presence Hovers over the world Like an impending doom A nightmare calamity About to be Unleashed Avoid them Steer clear Defend You must protect The safe place Within yourself The holy and sacred space Bequeathed to you In the very beginning Of all that is good The noble and steadfast truth That keeps the horrors of the Darkening world At bay. ~ Laurence Overmire (Previously published in Moments Before Midnight: Oregon Poets Write for Ecological, Social, Political, and Economic Justice, Bob Hill Publishing,2018)