I stood back from the edge
Expert hands
direct my legs through the harness
check the hooks
pull hard against
the rope
The others wait in nonchalance
Their laughter
spilling around me
diving into deeper darkness
“Test your weight”
I scoot to the ledge
my hands grasp
the rope
TIGHT
My legs sway free
feet—
butting against the cavern wall
repelling me
Outward
Into Space
I look down
my helmet’s light beam
bounces—
off rock
disappears—
into the black void
Suspended in space and time
I feel
the rope
make certain the hooks don’t bite my fingers
inches
FEET
YARDS
Above me glimmers a pinprick of light
Shadow embraces me like a long lost lover
I surrender
to emptiness
swaying on
the rope
I embrace
its braided strength
I accept
its infallibility
I believe
it won’t let me fall
My feet land in moon dust
expert hands
unbuckle the hooks
direct my legs through the harness
pull hard against
the rope
Copyright 1998 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman
