Final Approach

On not being a gecko.

Final Approach

                                      On not being a gecko

                                           

With the aid of atomic forces,
Named after Van der Waals,
Geckos, on hairy feet,
Can escape up vertical walls.

Had I the feet of a gecko
Or the brains of a Van der Waals,
I might not be trapped in this barrel
Drifting down to the Falls.

But since we're here, Jesus,
Although my faith has fled,
I'd appreciate your company
Till you're sure I'm good and dead.


                                                Hull, Quebec, October 18, 2008.