How Big is a Centimeter?

It is

as long as a staple

the width of a belly button,

radius of a US penny

A world away from the last push, a breath and a gasp from an explosion of light and life in a newborn’s cry

The tiny gap between crossing the finish line first, bursting through the ribbon to be adorned with gold and everlasting glory or perpetual regret

The last grinding push to victory…a pin to the mat, winning jump or throw, shot in the goal

Surviving an accident

just one tiny fraction more and that would be it

The space to close for a kiss

Difference between

surgery and there’s-nothing-we-can-do, a lump in the breast, agony or hope

whether you’ll get to see the faces of your children or the inside of a box

5 stages of grief or a trip to the playground

Joy or despair

I am

Haunted by the metric system

In the knowing.