Wednesday, July 13, 2011

drawn to two

drawn to two


I
Speed

Here I am fifty—          
                 half a life
ago tearing rumbling charging along
mountain roads   up and down the Saluda grade
driven by speed   the leaning and revving

on two wheels                     
              Harley-Davidson.  Then
young reckless careless   except for speed.

But those were days
of Marlboros and Budweiser                
                           leathers   no helmet
before children   only the wife's fears   like

a fallen phone-line                      
                    the pole I have to climb
the wires I have to restore              
                            fusing anonymous
conversations   calls for help   emergencies

tying people back together
                           as I break away
the seat holding only one   only me

alone.

II

Running

                                                            The years peeled away
the wind stripping me down to father
                                                                                     no leathers
smokeless   all the lines connected
                                                                                dial tones

replacing two wheels with shoes for jogging
the breeze gentle as my wife's contentment
bliss at her
             healthy husband grounded
breathing hard against the loop of my own
design pointless laps
                      the throttle rumbling
inside my chest
                moved up from between my legs
the desire of my thighs
                        jailed by heaving ribs

nylon rubber   the thumping of strides
I imagine myself chrome polished   black

red wings   Harley-Davidson
                            two wheels
long distance direct.

III

Pedaling

As if I were falling backward   a man
in my forties keeping conversations intact
from behind a desk
                   the pole no longer

between my heels my knees my thighs
replaced by a boy's toy
                        bicycle two wheels
driven by my legs
                  now pistons direct

to a chain drive crawling the same mountain
of my youth   the grade reborn under me
pedaling   my wife a woman I didn't marry

suffering through a cracked rib
                                broken collar
bone from leaning too far too slow
the recklessness gone
                      gray bearded   collect

I pedal nearly unconscious ears ringing like
a call I must answer   emergency   two wheeled
and charging calling me red wings.

IV

Motor

                                         Yes fifty
buying another two wheels   Harley-Davidson
resurrected Phoenix rumbling between
my thighs hog wallowing in the rumbling
no longer speed but sensation
the seat built for two
                       my wife
behind me liberated dialed in to the cycles
of the motor built for feel
                            vibrating us
together husband wife red-winged
charging recklessly leaning
against each other shaking us conscious
awake waking to the telephone poles
passing us marking our loops up
through down the mountains there
regardless of us or the wheels
following asphalt              us


                drawn to two wheels

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