drinking the Kool Aid
drinking the Kool Aid
after months of being careful
the boys froze
as I took water from the priest’s bowl
and brought it to my lips
I nodded to them
it’s okay
they hesitated
then did the same
why? they asked later
it’s Besakih, the Mother Temple
the blessing’s worth the risk
today floating in the bottle green depths
of the pelucid Pelorus
that once held dwarves afloat
they asked me
can we drink it?
here we were
in a space sacred to them
I hesitated then nodded
just a little I said
and we all took a bit of magical river
into our very selves
slippery slope
slippery slope
the slightest bit of justification
and the ground shifts
tilts toward what I want
until it comes rolling my way
and I’m trapped under its weight
listless legs kicking in that void
under a tent of stars
waiting for the lights to go out
vow
vow
once in a while
I exceed his expectations:
unlatching the door without assistance
banking the shot for the minigolf hole-in-one
driving on the left without incident the first time
(second time I hit the curb; more typical)
nearly calculating the squares in an 8×8 grid
performing to applause
you don’t need to impress me
he says
oh yes
I do
