Jet Ski Adventure

Over in Kaneohe Bay,
On the opposite side of Oahu
From the City of Honolulu,
Is a place where
You can rent jet skis,
Something I always wanted to do.

Jet skiing alone isn’t
The wisest thing to do
As I was to find out,
But nobody else
Was willing or able
To go that day.

I was over in Hawaii
Doing a construction project,
Pulling out underground fuel tanks
From one of the military bases there,
Playing environmental engineer
In the middle of paradise.

I would like to have taken
My youngest daughter,
Ruby, with me,
But she was back home
In Ventura
Going to school.

Ruby would have enjoyed the speed!
She inherited a bit of my
Genetic wild streak
Which can overpower
Any sense of caution
That her mother contributed.

I didn’t know when
I might get to jet ski again,
Especially in someplace like Hawaii,
So I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.
Even though I would have
Much rather done it with someone else.

I went out to where
The surf was breaking,
Where I could charge
Into and through the waves,
Then circle back jetting over top,
Going airborne.

I also cruised around the bay
Watching sea turtles
Pop their heads out
Trying to see what I was doing.
Those things can move
Amazingly fast in the water.

I was initially a little concerned
That I might hit
One of the turtles
But they always disappeared
In the nick of time
In spite of their gigantic size.

I even slowed down a while
To watch the sea life
Around the shallow coral reefs.
The water was very clear
And I could see
An enormous variety of fish.

I had been cruising around
For a few hours
And wore myself out
More than I realized,
And managed to fall off the Jet Ski
After assaulting one of the waves.

The Jet Ski was equipped
With a ripcord
To kill the engine
In case I fell off,
But somehow the safety feature
Didn’t work in that case.

It got caught in the seat
Leaving the engine running
And me floating in the bay
A couple miles out,
While the Jet Ski kept going
In wider and wider circles.

I wore myself out even more
Trying to intercept
One of those circles
To catch the machine,
But it didn’t seem
To want to be caught.

I watched in alarm
As that wayward machine
Circled the bay
With a mind of its own
Coming perilously close to the rocks
Before heading back out towards me.

I had almost given up
And had begun swimming
Back to shore
When that crazy machine
Finally came within reach
And I was able to grab it.

By that time
I was so worn out
That it took me another
Half hour or so
To climb back on
That fool machine.

Now I love jet skiing
And I love the feel of speed
But I will certainly
Never try it alone again
And I will definitely test that cord
Next time before I go.