Friday, February 13, 2009

poetic interlude

By popular demand, poem number one from the poetry class I'm taking. It's based on Theodore Roethke's "Dolor."

And let me tell you (speaking of bikes, which I will be once you get to the poem), I was feeling pretty smug this week about my general bikiness and my relative lack of accidents despite the miles and miles and miles I put in--until I totally ate it on an unexpected patch of ice getting to school in the morning. There's nothing more humbling than falling on your ass on the side of a huge intersection, especially after you've been self-satisfyingly congratulating yourself about how you never do stupid shit like that. Oh well.


Euphoria

I have known the unfettered ecstasy of a lubricated chain,
Running like quicksilver, adrenaline of new gears and cables,
All the buoyancy of lightweight aluminum, carbon, polypropylene,
Perfection in the shape of a tempered bottom bracket,
The heart-breaking curve of drop bars and click of shoes to pedals,
Joyful seat cupping firm buttocks lovingly,
Pumping thighs and lungs breathing pure ice--in, out,
The flashing rush of road beneath black rubber.
And I have passed the hordes of slick spandex,
Breathing freedom between the on-your-lefts,
Red muscle fibers contract and relax effortlessly,
Strong and secure as a helmet fit snug; anxieties trail behind
As lithe and carefree as my wind-whipped hair.

2 comments:

KatieGirlBlue said...

I fell off my clogs today, for what it's worth.

Right on! What a poem! I'm so excited to meet another aspiring (or, in your case, real-life) poet!

little happinesses: said...

heh. Thanks for the clogs comment:) Not that I'm happy you fell off your clogs, mind you, but it's good to know that I'm not the only person who does stupid klutzy things.

And thanks for the poem comment, too! More to come, perhaps:) (next up, publish/post some of yours! Clearly, you're a good writer--let's see it!:)