Bicycle Spring
by Kevin FitzPatrick
Windy, sunny, and Sunday,
the afternoon of your father's promise,
you will learn to ride your bike:
your father breathing hard
pushes, runs at your side,
one hand on the handlebars,
the other firm on the seat,
launching you like a glider
to soar long seconds
before wobbling to crash
in the soft green field
until you know how to ride
suddenly except for the brakes
and your father suddenly
is a speck waving way behind.
as you pedal toward strange sights
in blocks where he
has forbidden you to walk.
by Kevin FitzPatrick
Windy, sunny, and Sunday,
the afternoon of your father's promise,
you will learn to ride your bike:
your father breathing hard
pushes, runs at your side,
one hand on the handlebars,
the other firm on the seat,
launching you like a glider
to soar long seconds
before wobbling to crash
in the soft green field
until you know how to ride
suddenly except for the brakes
and your father suddenly
is a speck waving way behind.
as you pedal toward strange sights
in blocks where he
has forbidden you to walk.