I fell through the ice once.
Smaller and less cautious,
I missed the boundary between the thicker and thinner places
That separated the water from my feet.
As I heard the snap and felt the ice and my legs give,
I remember wondering why
If ice was water, I couldn’t keep walking
On the waves beneath it,
Why the only direction my feet could take in water
Was down.
I am no water walker,
Now or then,
But I learned that I was willing to brave the water
I could not walk
To see the shore behind me,
To stare at the land that would not pull me down from
The illusion that my feet could travel the surface of the waves
And not their depths.
Sometimes the most dangerous paths are the most rewarding
There is something both powerful and terrifying about standing inches above uncontrollable forces.
For more dangerous surfaces, my fantasy novel, The Guests of Honor, is available here. Its sequel, With Honor Intact, can be found here.
Are you a professional liar?… Because you sure are a good professional writer!
That is a wonderful compliment – thank you. As much as I love that quote though, I prefer to think of storytelling less as professionally lying and more as finding the truth in things that may not have happened. I hope that you enjoy more of the stories!