Page 19 - Oasis in the Sky

Taking Chances

I played on majestic cliffs; parents unaware of my peril.
Revisiting those cliffs, I’m incredulous at heights where
once I scampered, oblivious to the death courted—
half mountain goat with no sense of my mortality.

A love of mountains led to rapelling—
far safer than the knuckle-brained antics of youth.
Rappel gloves smoke from friction
as rope races through my hands.

To rappel from perilous places, one must first climb...
rock climbing becomes my next habitué. Scaling sheer
walls, hanging hundreds of feet above ground...nothing
but slender rope and a partner between me and death.

Exhilaration at the summit defies description—it must
be experienced. No phones, no clients demanding time,
just me and the mountain. Danger is my addiction—
adrenaline my drug of choice—skydiving my newest fix.

A rickety plane climbs to 10,000 feet;
I step onto the wing’s strut—it’s two miles down!
My heart tries to pound its way out of my chest—
forcing myself to unclench my hands and turn loose—

fighting a hungry tiger would have been easier.
I blast through the air at 120 miles an hour.
Yank...the chute deploys...the adrenaline rush
is indescribable...the silence is pristine.

You and I are not so different. Walking across a street, driving
to the store, taking a flight of stairs—all are fraught with risk.
We all take chances...taking chances is what humans do...
just some of us more than others.

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Oasis in the Sky
Oasis in the Sky