to the schuss

cold crisp air,
sliding in the queue,
waiting in contemplation…

chairs moving round,
rat-a-tat-tat, step by
stepping ahead…

slow shuffled movement,
chatter amongst fellow souls,
our turn now…

to the spot,
awaiting a liberating force,
up, up and away…

climbing higher,
up higher still,
so much more left…

flakes falling onto,
cheeks and eyelashes,
eventual wetness…

gazing down beneath
buckled feet, yodels
echo below…

occasional trees graze
boards, whisking up again,
silently into night…

anticipation stirs,
flutterbys float within,
inching forward..

opening up, free
to creep closer, over
the edge and beyond…

first one, then the
other, atop of the world
flying back down…