Something from nothing

A trip on a crack
A slip over a cliff
A blank page in a book
A black hole overlooked

To see what is not there
Find what is gone
Ask why it is missing
Learn what took so long

For what makes you special?
Are you that great?
To uncover a problem
No one else would unbreak

Start slow in your approach
Don’t hurry the pace
Clarity doesn’t come easy
Understanding too often in haste

Count the minutes
Spend the days
Will this be worth it?
Will you be too late?

What will carry you through
The weeks, months, years ahead?
What will console you when
All your work is under threat?

An idea too powerful?
A hope too dear?
A mission too urgent?
A vision too rare?

Will others rally to your cause?
Will they protect the flame?
Can you stoke the fire?
Can you play the game?

Defend and debate
Or placate and concede
Promise and deliver
Or pander and deceive

All you need is psychological safety
They say
It only took millions of dollars
And years of research
But they finally found
Six more syllables for “trust”

What is trust?
Will he reply to your question?
Will she reject your answer?
Will they respect your fears?
Will they ignore your years?

All you need is trust —
The exchange of time
The trade of knowledge
The gift of independence
The comfort of consistency

World, here’s the problem I love
And here’s my fragile idea
Stomp on it, beat it, spit on it
If it can survive, if I can survive,
Then maybe we both have a shot

Please help me give it life
Believe in it and I will believe in you
No idea ever dies from hate,
Only neglect
Slipping back into the forgotten
Chaos it came from