Leaving the liquor store
one arm clutching the bourbon
two wine bottles in the other
my shoe caught the cement
and I landed face-first
on the edge of the concrete curb
Thanks to my protection
the bottles survived the crash landing
My unguarded face, not nearly as well
My spouse was in shock
Volunteers came running
helped me to my feet
My glasses, broken in two, lay on the ground
My face a bloody mess
At home I looked in the mirror
A ragged cut on the bridge of my nose
Bloody abrasions on my nose, cheek, and lip
Soon dark black bruising circled both eyes
Anxious, in pain, a mess
but after three days I decided I would be o.k.
Even so, my connection to the world feels changed
Life is more precarious
More subject to the vagaries of random chance
I find myself walking self-consciously
Apprehensive, vulnerable
My nose and eyes have nearly recovered
but my psyche is progressing more slowly 
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