You see others riding bicycles
you see wide, toothy grins on their faces; the sheer happiness
you never see anybody crying on a bike

You see a brand new red bike
the world is dull in comparison to the bright, brilliant, beauty.
You want it, so bad.

The first time you ride it’s scary,
you hop on the bike and you’re clueless,
excited, yet oh so clueless.

Your friends and family cheer you on.
They tell you to cherish the feeling of letting go and
feel so completely and unconditionally free
you let go of the world, pedaling
so fast, you’re on top of the world!

in the distance you see a long, narrow crack in the road
you change gears and suddenly it is hard to pedal
the bike comes to a halt
you don’t have enough time to react as the bike (your world)
fall upside down.

  you fall-
so hard that you lay there; in shock
you cry, stare at the wound now reddening.
What a fool!
How could you let yourself lose control?

The radiant, ravishing red bicycle now collects dust in the garage
your friends and family say to you, c’mon get back out there.
Wear a helmet next time, so as not to get injured

You see a gorgeous green bike ride past your house
your heart races;
your pupils widen
and with that-
the cycle begins anew.