The Plunge

My fingers are turning blue from the cold.
The numbing,
aching,
unable to move your body
more than a shiver, cold.

Crystallized droplets
softly touch my bare skin.
I stand, ankle deep
in the white snow
surrounded by venturers
ready to take the plunge.
As I’m thinking to myself,
what have I done?

I wrap my arms around my naked stomach-
freezing from the gentle breeze,
waiting for the whistle
to signal movement.

Fweeeeeeet!

I trudge through the cotton-laid ground,
Splash-
quickly burying myself in the sea
of ice and fear.

Once the waters reach my waist,
I can no longer bear
the bitter bite of the frost.

Turning around,
I head back to the solid ground
to find warmth and comfort
in the knowledge
that I will never try that again.