Unstable Cliffs, the sign reads. Stay Clear.
And I think of the unstable Cliffs I have known:
The deputy that has a meltdown whenever I call in sick:
my cousin’s boyfriend who punches holes in the wall
when he is denied,
and the glue-sniffing Cliff I taught in Year 11 who fell asleep
on the tracks coming home from a party and was run over by a train.
They should have come with warnings too.
John Malone 
yes, there are cliffs all around us
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how come I know all the oddballs, Beth? There must be good cliffs out there, there must —
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I know a few myself – think we all do
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🙂 thanks Beth; I’d hate to be the only one 🙂 thank God we’re normal 🙂
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Powerful piece. Love your sign inspirations, John. Life’s cliffs can be brutal. Sometimes we can dive off of them and sometimes we just free-fall.
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oh I like that; you’ve extended the metaphor, taken it to new places —
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Ty, love how you’re using life’s signs to inspire such amazing poetry.
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thanks, K; I’m always on the lookout 🙂
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Brilliant. 😊
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Poor old Cliffs. Funny how you collect characteristics for names. Most Terrys (male) I have known personally have been obnoxious. Most Peters have been honourable. But, as you rightly lament, none have come with useful signage such as your photo!
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actually funny you mention Terrys: I’ve come across a few most annoying ones, but now as many as ‘Josh’: ‘Josh’ takes the cake but as you pointed out , the name doesn’t come with useful signage 🙂
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Such a simple and powerful piece! Too many unstable cliffs these days though…
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🙂 good to hear from you 🙂
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This poem was rather hilarious!!!!
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thanks; do you know anyone called ‘Cliff’? are they a little odd ?
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well I don’t anyone named Cliff, in fact I wasn’t even aware it was a name until now!😂😂
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Cliff Richard, he sends his congratulations!
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Lol ; very clever, Hobbo: I forgot about him; he was a good Cliff
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Thank you John, I’ll let him know when he gets back from his summer holiday!
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Lol ; you’re sharp with the references 🙂
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I have an older brother named Cliff.
He loves having his photo taken in
front of those ‘Unstable Cliff’ signs.
One day he’ll find out the hard way
what those signs actually mean 😎
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Lol; he’s done well getting this far without incident , David; I do hope unlike the other Cliffs I know that he has a stable character 🙂
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This is so clever. 🙂
Cliffs have so many problems of their own. Beware of them or you might tumble down some of your own.
Amazing.
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sometimes the world opens up, Terveen: you see a sign, and away you go 🙂
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Well, he was conscripted, and
did his national service … by
drinking his way through the
whole army experience. Good for
the national economy, I guess 🤔
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he turned out different to you then , David — much like my younger sister turned out much different than me; funny how siblings can lead such divergent lives 🙂
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Vive le difference!
I did do my national service, John,
by leaving the country as often as
I can (just not Vietnam) 😎
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hahahahah; I’ll pay that, David —
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My two sisters are two opposites.
One is a Nimbin hippy living up in
the hills, and the other is a dance
instructor in California teaching the
Cha-Cha to the rich & famous💃
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Wow ! such divergence; at one stage my wife and I planned to go to Nimbin and join the hippies but life intervened; heaven knows what I would have become 🙂
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Signs, signs, everywhere the signs as the song goes.
They’re not there because anyone cares. They’re there because the Legal Department of the municipality said to put them there.
I had a friend who got $30,000 because he was walking innocent below and beside a stone wall and it chose that moment to collapse on him. He went on a spending spree with the taxpayer’s money.
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lucky unlucky guy 🙂
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I felt bad for the Cliff who got run over by a train, but the line made me laugh. I’m an awful person, hahah.
🙂
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another commentator found that hilarious too; there must be something about that sort of death: it is way out there — I’m going to have to readjust my sense of humour: make it more inclusive 🙂
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It was a bit of a Cliff-hanger 🙂
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I wished I had thought of that pun, Ulle: I really do 🙂
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