Crossing a Rope Bridge

Coaxing myself
to place a foot
on that first step
on a crossing,
a journey with its outcome
neither known
nor guaranteed.
Isolation is a very shaky place
where the circles of my behavior
can resolve into a hydra
of loneliness.

Where is the tipping point?

Peeking, I see
a deep drop down,
deeper down
than the climb
to a safe vanishing point
in the forest
on the other side,
but the vertigo of failure
overwhelms, and getting numb seems
an easier alternative
to the solution.