Powdered sugar and crumbles of cone stick themselves in the cracks of our chapped lips
We glide along the sizzling tar in our flip flops
To the peppy tunes filling the air with joy
Exhilarated shrieking and rattling on all sides of us
Neither endless lines nor blazing heat
Can shake our spirits today
Sure, our times here have never been perfect
We pass the pavilion where I was consumed by the crowd many summers ago
Gasping for air and yelling your first names
After “mom” and “dad” only got me confused looks
We pass the spot where icy sweetness splattered your legs
After plummeting to the pavement with a splat
We pass the galloping horses that ended their circular motion with a rusty screech
Just as we got to the front of the line
However, none of the tear-inducing memories can shake our spirits today
Mom thinks of the socks on the carpet, the unplanned dinner, the blank grocery list
The parents she hasn’t called in a month, the ever-empty cabinets a victim of young mouths
And yet, she sees her happy family and realizes she’s smiling too
Not even her guilt and concern can shake our spirits today
There’s the sign
My head easily reached the “Ok to Ride” green while you were deep in the red “Cannot Ride”
Your self-confidence and determination couldn’t boost you into the green zone
Your hands clung to the gate and you suppressed a pout
As I took a seat on The Orbit and it began to whirl about without you
And over there
Dad’s tight grip on our wrists yanked us out of line because we couldn’t behave
Past frustrations and family tension can’t shake our spirits today
As we lurch forward on the incline with a click, click, click
I find the lap belt clenched in my white knuckles
My eyes inch their way over the edge of the cart
As I evaluate how far below us the ants are
But as we reach the top click, the wind gusts the caution from me
Not even gripping fear can shake our spirits today
As we glide out of the park
I glance down at the inky blue star on my hand and remember our day
And the corner of my chapped sugary lips begins to rise
Amazing descriptions, really great poem
ReplyDelete1. I really liked all of the imagery you included because it added so much important detail to the poem.
ReplyDelete2. My favorite line is "Your self-confidence and determination couldn’t boost you into the green zone"
3. I love how you wrote your poem about a happy experience and I felt happy and nostalgic reading your poem