Memoirs IV

We paced the bridge agreeing, wordlessly to stop to gaze where whitecaps hid our favorite rock islands. Gawking in fear and rapture stilling ourselves in meditation until the bridge itself moved; a vast tugboat parting rapids. Suddenly feeling unstable, in zealous competition with the Earth's revolution considered reaching for corroded railings reconsidered, seeing sharp chips of pale green paint the erosion of cement around rust pimpled metal. Instead, held each other’s feverish hands to steady ourselves against the force of wind in our faces, a spinning world where the sound of water gushing over and through the dam made us oblivious to trucks' speedy passage but not the lurching of the bridge "Just look away." Sober blue eyes met with mine, looking up from under wind-scattered bangs “I wouldn’t be able to swim in there?” “No, not even if it were shallow enough to stand, it is moving much too fast.” “I could if I were a giant.” “Yes.” We ceased our investigation and walked home.