Flip

When the water pushes your tube
into a submerged rock
stopping your forward progress,
the current keeps pushing
against the inflated plastic,
lifting the back out of the water
and over the front,
dumping you in the river.

As the tube begins to flip
your first panicked thought
is to stop the motion.
But you soon realize
the effort is futile
and surrender to your fate
before hitting the water with a splash.

You surface, disoriented,
but have the presence of mind
to grab your tube
before it floats away.

As you struggle to get back on
you quietly curse your luck,
but also laugh at the absurdity
of an airborne adventure
ending in a splash.

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Thank you for reading!