The amusement park has joyful fear,
Amid the rides up and down,
A trip to bring danger near,
As the coaster does twist around.
And, the air is filled with screams.
Is this really all the fun?
The danger is not what it seems,
The station ending shows we won.
Want to re-ride the roller coaster?
The trip is not truly real,
Popping down and up like a toaster.
Still, it does have appeal.
The view at top and the shouting,
The sense that here we are in danger.
No time or place for genuine doubting,
Hey, I’ll even hold the stranger.
Francis Conlon is a retired and recovering teacher. For the past 20 years, he has worked as a seasonal river ranger and boat inspector at Yampa River State Park in northwest Colorado. He has published in the local Valley Voice and in Westward Quarterly. He currently lives in Salt Lake City, Utah.