Greatness

I tiptoed my way to the threshold,
   hesitated,
      recoiled,
         lost my balance,
but then,
   when the unforgiving second wound down,
I found my footing.

I breathed in the world:
   Its fragrances and fumes,
and lit a fire in my lungs.

I’m a titan and an elf,
   a man of flesh and bone,
of rippling sinews,
   and a counselor to kings.

But I am,
   most gracefully and beautifully,
a loving son and brother—
   a friend when darkness drops low.