Bottomless pit

Image by Bruce Jacobs

Sliding down into the dark
Alone, afraid, apart
Wondering if there is a bottom
Wondering how to get out
As I slide ledges appear
Out of the dark
Places to grab onto
If I could only move
Slowly I will myself
To reach out, grab a loop
Trying to hold on
Trying not to fall further
I swing my body along the side
I find a ledge, a resting place
Taking a risk
I grab on
Climb up
Stand up
The ledge is firm
I am falling no longer
The darkness shies away
Letting light onto my ledge
I call out for help
A rope appears
The light shows ledges above me
I slowly climb from ledge to ledge
Holding onto the safety of the rope
Each ledge gets me closer
To reality, to life, to sanity