Fear

“The only thing to fear is fear itself,”
We’ve all heard said;
But most of us give in
To things that frighten us, instead.

So someone scared of snakes
Keeps out of woods, where they abound;
And one who fears the ocean
Stays on shore and won’t be drowned.

People who are frightened in the dark
Keep on the lights;
And some will never mountain climb
If they’re afraid of heights.

There are those whom cats or dogs
Will make extremely fearful,
And others seeing bugs and spiders
Rapidly grow tearful.

Thunder is enough to scare
Both children and adults.
Lightning, too, to many people
Has the same results.

Sometimes, though, we can’t avoid
The object of our fear;
At times like those we have to hope
Some courage will appear.

We close our eyes or count to ten
Or take a deep deep breath,
And concentrate on other things
Than our impending death.

And when the moment passes
And we sigh in great relief,
We understand our safety
Did not come from our belief.

The fear remains embedded deep
In our mind’s reservoir;
Not many of us can attain
The pluck of F.D.R.