The River Guide as Marriage Counselor

As we climbed into the raft

our guide gave us the talk:

White water rafting, he said,

is the most exciting sport there is.

The thing to remember is that

it's all about peaks and valleys.

The peaks are thrilling and

the valleys are dull, but the key is

to see it all in one piece.

It's a Zen thing, he said.

He pushed our raft out into the current

and took his place in the rear.

Pointing us downstream, he said,

When I say forward that means

paddle together, in tandem, as a team.

Watch your partner. Row together.

When I say back, plant your feet

under the lip of the raft there and dig

the oar into the water like a shovel into gravel.

Lean into it hard. Lean from the hip.

When I say stop, he said, your oar

should be in the air--just like you're

raising your hand in school.

There's nothing to it, he said,

so long as you see whatever happens

as part of the same picture.

Watch the river. Be alert.

We were out into the middle

of the river now, floating calmly.

We could hear the rapids up ahead

like distant applause. He said,

When we hit the class fours and

I say hang on, I mean grab the handle

there and lean towards the center.

Two things will happen. When we top out,

he said, the river will lift our nose.

All you'll see then is the sky.

The thing to remember is

where there's a top there's a bottom.

And when we drop down

into the soup you'll feel a long slide.

All you'll see then is the foam.

Don't relax your grip during the slide

because you're about to hit bottom.

If you pop out of the raft, the icy green splash

will numb you if you let it. Don't.

Point your feet downstream, he said,

and hold onto your helmet.

The important thing is not to panic.

Keep your mouth closed. Breathe

through your nose. If you get sucked under,

he said, try to get a breath, relax, and

go with it. If you fight the current,

he said, you'll lose. This river has been here

longer than you, and this river will be here

after you're gone. He snapped

his helmet into place. Then he said,

Are there any questions?

 

© copyright 2008 David Denny

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Published in "The Iodine Poetry Journal"

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