There must have been about Ten of us sitting on the rocks beside the Swirling water. We watched the rafts and canoes pitching Wildly through the rapids as they Ended their course. Single kayakers maneuvered through The wild water, too, sometimes Overturning but quickly righting Themselves. A gal was tossed out of her raft and Then a young man, but a sentry Stood on a rock nearby to throw them A rope, to pull them to safety. In my younger days I would have been Inside the raft, but today I was Content just to watch the excitement From the shore. But then, on a whim, I clapped when One of the rafts successfully plowed Through the rapid rapids to complete Its choppy ride. The soaked occupants were pleased That I had noticed and gave me a Smile and a thumbs up. And so my friend and I became the Cheering squad for all of them, The canoeists, The kayakers, The sixteen year old on a tube. "That was scary," he told us. And we were no longer just spectators. As we clapped and cheered we had Become encouragers, Part of the action, And it made our time spent on the River bank much more rewarding. |