ManicDDaily

Frozen On Skis and A Slope Too Steep
(At the Urging of My Daughter)

“I hate you, I hate you,” I said
to my own child, who (wincingly) smiled.
“Just take the turn slowly,” she led

in a perfect and slow-motion wedge.
But in my starts, my tight pace undialed–
“I hate you, I hate you,” I said.

Beside us, snowboarders slip-sped
and skiers spit skid-curves of wild
at my child, who so wincingly smiled,

while I, cryogenically dead,
stuck fast to stilled tilt. She beguiled,
“just take the turn slowly,” and led.

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I am not a good or experienced skier, and have a fair amount of fear of steep slopes, in part because I hate the loss of control I feel when going fast.  So, here’s a poem both for the dVerse Poets prompt, hosted by Claudia Schoenfeld, to write about letting go, and a Real Toads prompt, hosted by Hedgewitch (Joy Ann Jones) to write a “cascade” poem, that is, one with a repeated line scheme.  I’m not sure that I’ve met either challenge very successfully, but I did get to the bottom of the hill.  (For more on either prompt, or the cascade form, check out the sites above.)

Further note, I would never have thought that I would ever be capable of saying such words to a child and both she and I were a bit shocked.  I guess it is wrong to label what steep slopes inspire in me as a “fair amount” of fear.  (I am okay on easy slopes and she and I really do get along quite well.  She’s just a much better skier who’s learned that it’s best not to ask me to keep her company to higher heights!)