A Poem

This is not mine...it's copyrighted by Steve Hollaway.

Preacher Takes a Dive

He stands on the platform
almost exposed
hairless
focused
a wad in his mouth
he has chewed for a week.

He jumps
and twists in the air
as if escaping the grasp
of something invisible and
miraculous even to himself
he enters the water
at ninety degrees
and finds himself so deep
he fears the bottom.

He emerges
to polite applause
and can tell from the smooth surface
he has not made a splash.

Someday
he
will
cannonball
to sprinkle the judges
with what he has been immersed in.
For now he dries himself
and puts another page
on his tongue.