Roller coaster

picture: 'Fantasy Island' roller coaster Ingoldmells, Lincolnshire.

In this entanglement

exhilarant speed and accidental scream,

centipede legs frothing in free air,

the clatter of carriage

is an umbilical cord to safety.

Heavenward route slows,

earthbound accelerates;

the rush and gush of air

spreads nostrils

and widens eyes.

Hands grip the haven

of safety rail’s metal claw

as they are hoisted,

by a mechanical bird of prey,

through this meshed nest of steel.