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We stand together, our eyes fixated on the ride ahead
The interminable line snakes before us, but we enter anyway
Attracted by the lure of excitement and risk
Waiting with false patience for our future,
we sing, tell stories, people watch—
Pushing aside insecurities and fears with jokes
One step forward, one step forward, one step forward
until we stand at the gateway
We feel the ground tremor, hear the hiss of breaks
Too late to turn back now, too late for second thoughts
The harness clamps us into space
bare feet dangle, trying to find purchase in the sky
We trust technology,
shove aside panic; focus upon anticipation and thrill
Velocity throws us headlong
We twist, turn—upside down, sideways, backwards
Screams and laughter bend with the momentum
Our muscles constrict in tension
Our stomachs slide into our throats
Our heads explode with pressure
But there’s no getting off this ride
We have to see it through
Eyes clenched tightly closed while fingers grip the bars
we survive the first onslaught and prepare for the second
Uncontrollable laughter bubbles out—
floats on the manufactured winds of speed
Peaking eyes open, we see the end is near
Triumph whoops
Fists punch air
Teasing each other over our doubts,
we regain footing on the platform
where we dance with victory,
we celebrate our survival
Overlooking headaches and nausea,
we look for the entrance of the next ride
Copyright 2011 Elizabeth Abrams Chapman
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