One and two. One and two. Twenty paddlers in a dragon boat, paddling in unison. One and two. One and two.
Following the paddlers in first seat. One and two. One and two.
The coach calls from the stern. “Blind dragon! In three, two, one!”
I close my eyes.
Head cocked, I listen with my whole body. Through the silence I hear twenty paddles plunge into the water. One and two. One and two. I feel the rhythm in the boat. One and two. One and two.
“Power up!”
I sense a shift as we slam our paddles down, pull through the water. Powerful, fast. One, two. One two.
We listen for the splash and feel the surge. One, two. One, two.
We are strong. We are one. We are. One, two. One, two.
Nothing else matters. Nothing else exists.
Just us and the boat, slicing through the water. One, two. One, two.
We are suspended in time, pistons in a machine, up, down. One, two. One, two.
Muscles expanding and contracting. One, two. On,e two.
Paddling into eternity. Together. One, two. One, two.
“Let it run.”