A Fair Ride

The twisting, wrenching pull
And all the bedazzling lights:
Bright blues and piercing reds
That blurred with the shining emeralds
And all of the burning oranges.

The blaring music
and thumping beat
Propelled the ride along
faster like the flashing lights:

Making every other moment a snapshot.

The wind tugged at my face and limbs
While my eyes stayed ahead
Of the mechanical spinning and swaying.
The painted background
of the ride heaved
To and fro
With each passing rotation.
First near then far.

My feet dangled beyond the fitted seat.
The hard plastic firm underneath me,
Steady and sure and unchanging
Unlike any other part of the ride.

The harness let me loose but pulled me back,
I felt danger but under the guise of slack.
I was a child in the ocean with its mother,
Swimming and vulnerable,
But not allowed to go out in the water too far.
The ride flowed, the riders rode the wave of excitement.

It ended too soon I am sorry to say.
But on solid ground I still will diz and sway