Toes curling around the edge of the flat roof
24 stories, 242 feet above the sidewalk
He had studied it and knew it would take
Four seconds to hit the ground at 70 mph
He would be dead 4 seconds after jumping
What he didn’t know was what he would think
In these 4 seconds while accelerating to 70 mph
Would, as they say, his life flash before his eyes?
Cramming 40 years of life into 4 seconds,
One second per 10 years, seemed impossible
He hated his life, so why re-live it?
Maybe he should sing, or recite a poem
Anything to keep his life from flashing
Or maybe he would be so scared his
Mind would be empty except for the scream
Would he think about the impact, on how
It would be to hit the sidewalk at 70 mph?
Would he feel anything? Anything at all?
Would he have an out-of-body experience,
Hover above and see himself get splattered?
He willed himself to take a step forward
But instead took a step backwards
Four seconds was way too long!