9.30.20 // deep pools

Deep pools.
.
They say several lives have been lost here.
.
The signs and the fencing surrounding the area are both a stark contrast to the stunning nature and a harrowing warning to the daredevils basking in the shadows.
.
The pools are clear, inviting, enchanting.
.
The water is frigid, strong, fierce.
.
The rocks are menacing, stark, hidden.
.
But the spell is captivating... the spell of the pools and existential freedom.
.
What made these lives jump?
.
The signs say peer pressure, the locals say youth, I wonder if it was an escape.
.
An escape from the moment, a free-floating drift where responsibilities, worries, judgments all but disappear.
.
I wonder if they were escaping for a moment from the life they didn’t want, a leap into a future they wanted, fearless.
.
But were they deceived? Promised by the pools and lied to by the rocks and the water.
.
Would they have jumped had they known?
.
Would they have felt that weightless freedom for the cost of their breath?