Hollis Kurman
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.