Danger shared is diminished and fear forestalled in Eric le Fatte‘s dramatic poem, “The One Log Bridge Over Railroad Falls,” from the 2024 issue of Deep Wild: Writing from the Backcountry:
The One Log Bridge Over Railroad Falls
Angels plunged in my mind
like torches dropped into darkness.
My face surely told you
this is not how I wanted to die.
You calculated my panic to the breadth
of an eyelash and turned your back.
Put your hands on my shoulders.
We’ll take this together.
Step after step, the pitch of your voice
almost drowned in the torrent.
Step after step, stars lost their balance
and fell from the sky.
Forty-eight steps shared between us
and we’ve crossed, still alive.
Eric’s poem is one of over fifty tales from the backcountry in the 2024 issue of Deep Wild Journal. To learn more and to check out our Fall Sale specials, visit deepwildjournal.com
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