.

Imagine…

If you slipped on dew-damp grass,

Through the sunrise morning,

Birds chirping high in amazement,

Slipping and sliding down the steep slope,

Faster and faster, grabbing at grass,

Feel the sting of safari ants,

Down, down, pass the multi-stemmed ficus tree,

Faster and faster, until….

Splash! Breaking the reflected picture of the crater,

Splintering blue and green,

Scattering the tiny skin-nibbling fish,

You subside into their midst,

Continue your decent into the darker, greener,

Down, down, meter after meter,

Bubbles rising, your decent slowing,

.

And, imagine…

If you fell soundless from the warm, sun-soaked sky,

Wise-faced colobus watches, shakes his head in surprise,

The red colobus whistles as you tumble past,

Past the multiple layers of green,

Faster, faster, until…

Splash! You shatter the mirror-like surface,

Drops, each reflecting the landscape, fly upwards

Arching into the green,

And you, slower now,

Slide down, down into the cool,

Darkening as you sink,

Glancing up into the ripples of sky,

Then stare down into the growing gloom,

.

And, imagine,

If late at night, you slip over the edge of the bonfire place,

Wrapped in a blanket, reaching for a glass,

Balancing on the ledge,

Slip away from the flames,

From the yellow-lighted faces,

Screaming with horror and delight, into the darkness,

Grass blades slicing your skin,

Stones breaking your toes,

Your hair standing on end as you fall,

Stumbling through the undergrowth and thorny branches,

On and on, down, down,

You splash through the silent, black surface,

Water fills your ears, noise subsides in a splashing moment,

The soft popping of bubbles as you slide,

Soundless, into the deep.

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Fort Portal, June 2022