Uncertain about toilets, sleeping rough,
the river work, the weather, and the wet,
I valued sibling benefits enough
to purchase neoprene and risk regret.
We rafted down a canyon fifty miles,
engorged in desert, walled in stone and glass.
We followed currents, threaded boulder aisles,
and rapidly succeeded middle class.

I never worried. I felt no distress.
My biggest problem may have been cold feet,
and they were warmed ashore. I must confess,
my satisfaction with the trip’s complete.
As if we poured oblations, we were graced
with life’s perfection everywhere we faced.