Ski’n Sky

                                Ski’n Sky

Silent creep from tent; wake daughter Barbara in darkness;
her slalom ski aboard, start old Hope, cruise up the lake’s stillness.
Quiet glide to Gray’s dock on Floating Battery island site.
Beth tip-toes aboard with her favorite water ski.

Two teen girl muscular sun-kissed bodies
energy glowing auras,
gleaming smiles in morning faintness.
Putt-putt to the channel, first wake on sleeping Lake George.

Stop engine; hear Beth’s yelp splash echoing.
“Clear”: Barb’s spotter call to idle, circle tow line.
“Ready”: slow forward, tighten line.
“Hit it!”: ram throttle, set thirty-five knots.

Old Hope leaps to plane, dashes to east horizon,
skipper father’s eyes duty bound
forward to see buoys,
Barb’s constant stern watch of skimming skier.

While tented dark in sleeping bags
the trickster comets dip their tails
to flood God’s paint box overflowing;
drops of pigment spatter, staining heavens.

Faint crescent glow at mountain rim;
incandescent colors chasing darkness
scarlet, red, orange, brilliant gold edges,
light blue, deep purples, violet.

Sky streaks, sweeps, rainbowed ripples, gaudy puffs and blotches
above, from crescent rim to dome.
Twinned resplendence in forward windless water mirror,
mountains, islands flashing past on sides.

Splendor colors hammer eyes and senses
to bone and marrow,
beating heart, tingling nerve ends -
streaming windswept morning of eternity.

“Cut!” end of pull of rope, Beth’s ski edge.
Circle in idle, engine stop, glide to Beth.
Dripping ecstatic girl in. Barb’s yelp splash;
her sky leap dash to color fading west horizon.

Father’s safety love gift to not behold
painted sky-girl leaping dawn’s sky-wave jeweled froth.
Few instant sternward glances only, moments eternal,
burnt-in memory.

Cruise back to camping breakfast, wood fire aromas,
girl grins, exuberance.
Glory painted sky dawn! Glory sky-girl teen dawn,
Thank you.

© David W. Oliver 02/26/2010