And a Stranger Holds Your Hand

If you try to kill yourself

By jumping off the Porter Bridge

In Scoville, Massachusetts

You will find a stranger there

It won’t be someone

You expect

But then again

Who ever expects

A stranger?

At that moment

Seeing anyone you know

Would be a turn

In the wrong direction

A well-intentioned move

By the Universe

To steer you away

From your impending action

And the Universe

Though kind

Is misguided

No

What you needed

Was a stranger

The stranger helps you down

And the stranger gets you a blanket

From their nearby car

And the stranger has no interest in you

But also doesn’t want you to die

Because people shouldn’t want other people to die

It’s just not how things should be

This stranger sits in their car with you

And plays Jackie Wilson

And doesn’t say a damn thing

Nobody tries to get you to talk about

Why you wound up on that bridge

Looking down

At your next step

Nobody tries to get you to cry

Or yell

Or let it out

Nobody tries to tell you things

Your whole life

You’ve been told things

But not now

Not in this car

Not with this stranger

At some point

The stranger reaches over

And holds your hand

And it’s a gesture full of meaning

And without intention

And so it is the loveliest gesture

You can possibly think of

Because when—

I mean, really, when—

Does anybody

Ever

Hold your hand

Anymore?

When was the last time

Someone reached over

And held your hand

As if to say

In the purest

And truest way—

You’re not in this alone

And what is this?

This life

This place

This set of circumstances

And you are alone, aren’t you?

Because who do you have?
Aside from this stranger

In this car

As the rain lets up

And the radio plays

And cars start to come and go

Up and down the bridge

Because, oh look

It’s dawn

It’s daytime

It’s another damn day

And you’re here

Yesterday was a good day

To jump off a bridge

But the odds of that day recurring

Twice in a row are—

You have to admit to yourself—

Pretty slim

So you sit there

And watch the cars go by

And Jackie Wilson sings

About love

And what it can do for you

And a stranger

Holds your hand

And somehow

What you needed

Arrived

Just in time