For Your Rowing Pleasure

The river runs wild. The river runs for miles. I stand at the edge. Contemplating. The life jackets are piled up. The helmets dumped. They pick their safety gear up as I stare at the river.

A patch of calm blue interspersed with foamy white, surrounded by green everywhere. I pick up my paddle and row. Row, says the guide. Row forward.

Feet locked. Fear felt. Heart on the sleeve. Craving for adventure. Invitation to the waves to come hit me. Hit me hard and break my bones. I will worry about drowning tomorrow. I will calculate the depth of the water some other day. For now, Come waves come.

And then they come. From everywhere. A splash here. Shrieks everywhere. Water gushing in. Adrenaline gushing out.

The river is mine. I am rowing. With the currents. Against the currents. Amidst. Within. Inside. Around.