Carolyn DeCarlo

roller coaster hands

your hands are a roller coaster on my legs

tiny children ride your hands and say whee!

they like the part of the ride where your hand

races down my thigh to my knee the best,

although the part where you spin your hand

in a circle on my calf is pretty good too.

i went to coney island and watched a ride break down.

people in sticky uniforms helped kids climb

from one car to the next across the ride.

each car was shaped like a log.

some kids straddled the log and scooted

because they were too afraid to walk,

even with the attendant’s hand.

we rode the tilt-a-whirl, laughing in line

because all the other riders were so small.

we sat with our knees against the bar,

holding it up with our hands, too big to lock in place.

we took photos, pretending to be the kids with wide grins.

then the ride started, and on the first spin

our stomachs dropped and we became so small.

Carolyn DeCarlo is the editor of UP Literature. Her poems have appeared in various places across the internet