everyone is barely separated from a devastation

only ever one step from the Bad Thing

     one body failure away debt or death

          one betrayal away from a heart problem

               one disappointment away from a collapse

while we are waiting in the imaginary wings

for our time on the stage

calamity is lurking with

     the delay

          the cancelation

               the hook they use when the audience jeers

you thought you were sound, with time in the pocket

and things on your side

     those assurances were your last coin