Have you ever known the thrill of downhill skiing?
Deep powder
erases his tracks
at forty below
penetrating
frozen eyes
so cold
each breath
brings pain
Empty lines
means
faster runs
serendipity
With a blizzard outside
the rest huddle
in the clubhouse
with hot drinks
near a crackling fire
swapping stories
Only the fool
alone on the slopes
with his runny nose
mutating
into icicle
saber tooth tusks
screams
in ecstasy
while cutting
new tracks
through knee
deep powder
Schussing becomes an obsession
No time to snowplow
to slow down
A two tone
brown
leather face mask
covering a blue
rag wool
navy watch cap
struggles to
block the arctic wind
One more run—
Just one more
until the ice man
decides to
go inside
out of the night
to startled faces
and
a silence so deep
it’s frightening.
The masks come off
The ice melts
The chatter resumes
Love this one, Lloyd. Alone in that snow, while blue and rose fade into the night sky--whew! Gorgeous. Never learned to ski, but did this a lot with my sled in childhood, long after everyone else was gone.
I have never experienced downhill skiing, but have a friend who teaches it and loves it. She is 57 and ski's terrifically. Keeps in shape doing it. Your poem expresses very well the feelings one ges while downhill skiing. It looks like you keep in shape too by doing it.
Lloyd,
Throughout this sharp focused telling the man becomes adventurer, soldier ("navy watch cap") warrior and iconic hero - a well conceived extended metaphor for doing and bravery, and the end hugely ironic in the context, so easily we forget those who go beyond the call of duty.
John
An exhilarating write, Lloyd. My few attempts at skiing (back in
the olden days when I was alive, to quote my daughter) were like
fun (though I didn't know what the hell I was doing) until I uprooted a tree and wrapped myself around a fence. If I were to venture to
ski country today, I'd be the guy in the soft chair next to the
fireplace, sipping on something warm but not too stimulating. -gene.
Have I known the thrills of downhill skiing? You betcha. Many moons ago ... sigh. You bring it all back in crisp, vivid lines - well done, Lloyd. I once was one of those fools. And I'd do it again, if my body would let me. :)
The trio of covert operatives from Area-51 are back. Black Widows Bondage continues the action packet sexy spy-fi
adventures of the “super agents” from Angels Keep Watch, led by Dr. Sterling Striffe, with his paramour partner, the
mysteriou
The FBI Inspector (380 pages) is a collection of 25 short fiction crime novellas involving the law enforcement services of FBI Inspector Joe Giralo along with his three government agents, Sal Velardi, Arthur Orsi and Dan Blachford.
BLIND!
Ross Miller doesn’t have anything to live for anymore. An RPG attack in Afghanistan left him blind and he thought helpless.
He tried going home but that didn’t work out. Luke and Amber Owens who were both wounded in the same
Share
Print
Save
Follow
Edwin
Regis
Throughout this sharp focused telling the man becomes adventurer, soldier ("navy watch cap") warrior and iconic hero - a well conceived extended metaphor for doing and bravery, and the end hugely ironic in the context, so easily we forget those who go beyond the call of duty.
John
the olden days when I was alive, to quote my daughter) were like
fun (though I didn't know what the hell I was doing) until I uprooted a tree and wrapped myself around a fence. If I were to venture to
ski country today, I'd be the guy in the soft chair next to the
fireplace, sipping on something warm but not too stimulating. -gene.
(((HUGS))) and love, Karla.