Rivers and Rope Swings

I woke up today and I guess I have to say

I’M ON ONE

So here’s another anecdote from the library of my in-laws

This one is so egregious, to this day it still gives me pause…

In 2011, my husbands family had a reunion one day in July

at the Tickfaw river and so blue was the sky

the sun was out and it was beaming,

the spot was nestled where the river was streaming

ever so poetically and my mood was great just like I was dreaming

I had my four kids their ages all one year apart

as soon as we got there they were ready to dart

straight into that river knowing they couldn’t swim

and at that point I realized the day would be tirelessly grim

I HAD NO IDEA JUST HOW RIGHT I HAD BEEN

So the oldest sees this giant rope swing that was posted so high

there was no way I was going to let them FLY

My 4-year old Lucy who is just like me was not taking no for an answer evidently

so I told her fine, but I’m coming with you, when we get to the top I will decide

So we climbed a damn mountain to get to that swing and as I stood on the cliff looking at everything

I looked at Lucy and said, I will go first, to make sure it’s safe and then you will still have to wait

for me to climb back up this mountain and we’ll go together but the more I thought about it

the more I thought I’d rather not do that plan because it was too scary

We were literally about forty feet up and I wasn’t sure I could carry

both of us without dropping my daughter, it was a terrible predicament, this oncoming slaughter.

I ended up just jumping first, to make sure that it was safe and I was imagining the worst

So off I went, and I swung so far out that I was afraid to let go but there was no doubt

that I would hit a tree soon if I didn’t let go and so I did.

My husband’s family were watching me swing and I honestly think they did some compelling

to the river to make the waters part because I landed in a spot that wasn’t very smart

I landed in about 3 feet of water, which is fine for a kiddie pool made for my daughter

but not if you’re falling from 2 stories high when I landed I knew I would cry

what I wanted to do when my feet hit the dirt was inhale all the water for my dessert

My “family” who saw the whole thing just happen, were still standing and looking and seemed to be clapping….

it took him a minute but my husband finally came to get me out of the water I couldn’t walk, I was lame

He drug me to the bank and I laid down, I looked at my ankle and wished that I had drowned.

The family left me there and continued their fun, they left me there for 4 hours in the sun.

When it was time to leave I could no longer walk, I had to be carried and at this I did balk

I could not walk for the next three months and to this day my ankle is noisy and grunts.