Arts & Entertainment

'Carry the Light' Excerpt: Physics on the River

This poem, which appears in the "Carry the Light" anthology, explores the world of white water rafting through a scientific perspective.

Editor's Note: For the first time in the history of the San Mateo County Fair, a 300-page anthology has been published that includes more than 100 stories, poems and essays from writers who submitted award-winning work for the fair's literary contest. The idea was the brainchild of Bardi Rosman Koodrin, a San Bruno resident who runs the fair's literary contest, and the anthology, titled "Carry the Light," features work from many Peninsula writers.

This poem explores the world of white water rafting and brings focus on the natural forces encountered on the Class V waters of the Penobscot River in Maine.

From p. 218, “Physics on the River

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Yes!  We are ready!  To the river!
Little men, big egos, taking charge of the raft.
Our lead rower, my son, all of 130 pounds, leading us down class 5 waters -
The same class system used for hurricanes.
Past the gauntlet, over the crib,
Ah, a loose wave,
Slam!  Slash!
The lead rower flies across the raft, into Jeff...
It was beautiful -
like Newton's cradle -
a transfer of energy...
Physics on the river...
Wes stopped.
Jeff carrying the momentum forward, over the bow,
learning yet another law of physics - that of gravity.
Jeff descended into the fridge abyss, the 62 degrees waters of the Upper Penobscot.
What to do?  What to do?
First reaction - hit him!
Overriding their killer instincts, the crew pulled Jeff aboard.

Excerpted from "Carry the Light" with the permission of Sand Hill Review Press, the publisher. The book is available for purchase for $12 on Amazon.com.

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Karen Blake, an award-winning poet and essayist, has taken a 15-year passion of introducing science concept through literature to the next level. She has started her own e-publishing company, Rhizome Books, to introduce video gaming aspects to explore science concepts within stories.

 


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