Anticipation swelling,
 
 minute by minute by minute,
 
 you choose to wait even
 
 longer, to ride in the front
 
 car
 
 and finally it’s your turn.
 
 They buckle you in, lock
 
 the safety bar with a jolting clunk!
 
 Hook engaged, the chain jerks
 
 you forward. You start to
 
 climb
 
 crank-crank-crank.
 
 Cresting the top, time
 
 moves into overtime
 
 as you wait for that scant
 
 hesitation, just before you
 
 drop
 
 knowing you can’t turn back.
 
 You know how you feel
 
 at that instant? Well, that’s
 
 exactly how it feels when you
 
 shake hands with the
 
 monster.
 
 No Time Like That First Time
 
 Fire! Your nose ignites,
 
 flameless kerosene
 
 (and, some say, Drano)
 
 laced with ephedrine
 
 you want to cry
 
 powdered demons bite