Sidewalks And Signals

I drive on hard and hallowed roads
Until the blue sky stoops, until
My radio receives these bright and
Strong November days. They

Transmit Dylan’s boot leg
Release number eight. The
Buzz of amplifiers rises when he
Breathes. “Once,” he says,

“I had a pretty girl, but she did
Me wrong. Now I’m marching to
The city and the road ain’t long.”
I join the sacred melody; I join

Everyone who moves over these
Highways. We drive, and the
Sidewalks are beside us. We sing,
And the signals bend to find us.

Motorcycle Memories: One Day The Graceful Rider Caught Me

I remember the asphalt: how it felt when
I colored outside the lines on a bike.
I remember the rowdy night-spot
Where speed got up to pick a fight.
My bright wheels cannot forget
A full-leather form, the turns,
The quick and careless course, or the
Fateful blur on the periphery.
The hardtop hit like hard luck times.

I recall the throttle: a twist and clutch
Made sudden emblems in the road.
It sounded good, but the ditch stood
Close by; the pavement took a toll.
I think of parking lots that demanded
Wheelies: I never did say no to them.
Close calls, falls, spills and crashes—
Some lay it down, but mine were wrecks.
My graceful arc crossed double lines.

Still, I wouldn’t slow the pace. Then
One day the graceful rider caught me.
How he chased! How his engine raced!
He had new tires and tattoos of fire.
His eyes were like mirrors, and
When I looked, I shattered. But
To every piece he whispered;
For each shard he stood and shouted.
His voice could not be unkind.

His hands, like living stone, never tired.
He made pursuit his standard.
I rolled with bent desires, but
He anticipated every deviation. He
Broke my bones, then mended.
He determined my route. I fled
Until he pierced and purchased, until
He caught me with the look of love—
A look that saw a man born blind.

He gripped when my will failed.
He healed my road-rash knees.
He knew my make and model.
He saw parts no one sees. Now,
I listen as gears make changes,
As rubber on roadway moves me,
As I approach new signs and places,
As chain and sprocket go humbly
Beneath me, and narrow roads unwind.