adventure

the rocks loomed in jagged peaks
mounded no doubt by
yellow beasts with tractor wheels
as large as the monster truck
we ogled earlier

i clutched the padding
that clung in dusty insufficiency
around the bones of our jeep
wishing for one of those bracing hand grips
they put on rollercoaster cars

no track to keep our wheels in place
we ground our way onto the first boulders
jouncing through forward and reverse
feeling our way over edges and into pits
between and through and on

he got out thrice to spot the way
i kept my eye on the right edge
two feet away i said
more toward your side i said
then clenched my jaw as

we bounced forward jamming down
and into the opposite slope
(if you could call it a slope)
with flatter rocks and steeper descents
down and to the side and

off the edge clanging as the undercarriage
scraped the final stony step
we turned and grinned and laughed
at the insanity of what we'd done
that's the first time i've done that he said

my heart pounded and then
he turned toward the bog
where we had already been
and would go again
looking back at what we'd dared

i've built this more for mud
but that was fun and maybe
he grinned again at the thought
i'll need to build a new toy
that can take on those other climbs

i would have liked to hold his hand
but it was needed for gripping
the wheel instead of me
and so i held on again and braced
as we plunged down another trail

and into the dusk of the dying day