rock climbing

the floor is dissolving 
one foot print
at a time, first the hardwood 
then the gnarled living room carpet & 
slick bathroom tiles
i keep thinking of our childhood games
of "red hot lava" climbing
on furniture to escape the invisible
calamity waiting for us on the floor
of our parent's house
lava in the carpet, lava between 
the legs of the round kitchen table
lava swallowing & burning the TV
when i was in 5th grade you 
had a birthday party 
at the rock climbing
place & you said you were practicing 
for when the bottom eventually falls out from the world
how did you know all the way back then?
i didn't believe you 
the next day
my arms tingled like they'd been squeezed all night
feeling every muscle i raised
each limb slowly, 
pretending to pluck 
my ceiling light down, a ripe white fruit
you snuck in from your room to lay 
next to me & we compared muscle shapes
you said you wanted to nail 
rock climbing rocks to all the walls
of the house & i imagined climbing
everywhere with the lava licking
at our shoes
all night i'm nailing rocks 
to all the walls
each foot step counts
because where it was will
then disappear as lift my foot
i wonder if this is happening where
you are too, 
i haven't seen you 
in months & i hope your voice
sounds the same,
where is the whole floor 
of the world going?
i imagine each foot print building 
a new planet 
house by house
maybe each step the people there make 
adds ground instead
of taking it away
you of all people will be okay though,
i remember watching you 
at the old rock climbing place from below,
you didn't need the black harness
you moved, a spider far above 
all the other kids
gripping stone after stone 
after stone, 
i hang onto the wall,
planting rocks of all different colors
all the way to the front door
where i hold on & wait
i'm so scared you will come
& open the door just 
to fall in
i practice saying 
"the floor is hot lava"
so that you won't 
tumble away
as your take 
your first step inside