Shifting Gears

The accident has made of me your old bike, beloved &
        only ride, gear shifts unsteady, occasional tension spoke

requiring realignment, night lighting, bell clear as a
        bell when pressed, but asymmetry ache where there

should be two-by-two’s, forward momentum a muscle
        memory, your face finding wind & its small delights,

shifting into lower gear for this uphill race, saddle warmed
        & waiting, wheels pumped in patient pursuit of a new lane.

 

Published in Amsterdam Quarterly, summer 2024 (fortieth issue), Vibration(s) theme