And Down the Falls

A man goes down the Falls
And not in a barrel

He experiences water
He experiences weightlessness
He experiences the kind of fear
That becomes peace

He attempts to enjoy
The sensation of falling
But wonders if the fall will kill him
Or if the drowning will do it

He would not mind
Death by falling
As it seems poetic

But death by drowning
Is known to be unpleasant
And so he tries to concentrate
On hitting the surface of the water
Particularly hard
So as to end things then and there

On the way down
He has more time than he would have thought
To think about his life

But funnily enough
He can't seem to focus
On any one moment
Or event

Even his name
Seems to float away from him
With the intensity of the water
And the tenderness of the wet air

The spray on his face feels good
And how about that, he thinks

Who would have thought
That death could be so refreshing

He can't imagine that having a barrel
Would help his chances at all

Going down the Falls
Is like staring down a lion

Going down in a barrel
Would be like staring down a lion
With a handkerchief in front of your face
Convinced it will shield
Whatever is about to happen

When he reaches the bottom
He's not sure it is the bottom

They don't show you photos
Of the bottom
Of the Falls

Maybe they're afraid
It will take away
From the majesty
Of the crest

To see something so serene
With so much chaos
Being heaped onto it

Does he survive?

He feels like he wants to address you

He feels like he should call you 'Dear Reader'

Because you are a Dear

Do I survive the Falls, he asks himself
Knowing you're asking the same thing

And the answer is not an answer
But the non-answer is--

What would I do
If I did?