The Day I First Skied

The wind was cold, the sky so gray

Impact of snow covered me around

Looking down the hill

All white and invisible

I saw my dad take off

Zipping down at lightning speed

I hesitated to go after

Fear was driven inside me.

I took off at last, scared for my life

My skis felt heavy, wet against slush snow

I almost fell, my body twisted around

Then I gathered myself and bent it forward

The wind came too fast, and the snow was almost ice

Other skiers flew past, quick and powerful

I almost tried to keep up, but the fear was there

I didn't want to speed and I didn't want a fall

My legs felt wobbly, queazy all around

I bit my teeth hard, pushing my body forward

The skis began to settle, glide along the white

Then I felt myself up against the fighting wind

I skid to a stop for a moment, to look for my dad

I could see him in a distance, behind a wind pillar of snow

I saw him slow down for a bit, to see if I was coming

And called out to me, and I only told him to go.

He took off, I coming right after

The wind began to settle, the clouds more friendly

A bit of sunlight broke through, and I could see

Everything clear and spotless against the low sky

Then I saw the bottom

And there was my dad at the bottom, waiting for me

He took my arm and told me, I finished.

There was relief and the fear was gone.

We both took off our skis and went to the lodge

There, with hot coffee and a fire, I was finally done.