"Roller Coaster" by Jay Ruzesky: Love as a Wild Ride

Jay Ruzesky's poem "Roller Coaster" uses the amusement ride as extended metaphor for romantic relationship dynamics:

The Metaphor Unpacked

• Ascent: Anticipation, slow build, click-click-click of commitment
• Peak: Exhilaration, shared view, "we're at the top together"
• Plunge: Sudden loss of control, stomach-drop vulnerability
• Twists/loops: Disorientation, conflicting forces, can't see ahead
• Brakes: Abrupt stop. The ride ends. You step off shaky-legged.

The Turn

The poem's pivot: one rider wants off mid-ride. The speaker feels the partner's grip loosen—emotional withdrawal before the physical exit. "I did, but I didn't want to. And that's the cruel and painful thing about letting go of someone's hand."

This captures the asymmetry of breakups: one decides, the other endures. The roller coaster doesn't stop for passengers. You ride the track laid by mutual history, but the exit is solo.

Why the Metaphor Works

Coasters are chosen risks with engineered paths—like relationships. Both promise thrills; both deliver uncontrolled moments. The safety bar (trust) either holds or fails. The poem honors the ride's beauty while mourning its terminus.