I tried to look so sure of myself
Pedaling my bike approaching the quarry
A hint of danger; I looked down
at a child’s paradise.
Flinging our bikes we raced down to the quarry.
Past the old rusted crane, railroad tracks, bulldozer.
Drawn by a magnet
to the cliff’s edge.
Water’s bright reflections
danced in my eyes.
I looked down; the others shucked off their clothes.
Embarrassed, I waited to be the last.
One by one
they disappeared over the edge,
naked bodies gleaming in the light.
Their voices called me from below.
Shedding my clothes
shy and embarrassed
the sun on my skin
suddenly free
I stepped back and leapt
leaving my childhood
I dove

Joe
September 30th 1996