Radio Flyer

 

I had my Radio Flyer

Filled with every need:

Television and speaker,

Access for the freed

 

I had my sandals

For the long flight,

And electric candles

To displace the night

 

I left behind the stagnant,

Imagination in my pack

Any direction but remnants

Of what lies at my back

 

But the whirlwind

Off in the distance

Stared and grinned

At my lack of guidance

 

Caught in a swirl of fear

My impetus was lost –

I wrestled with the jeers

And grappled with the cost

 

In a land without signposts

I forgot the map of the past,

… creating new ghosts –

A thought not in my  forecast

 

With a tear to the heavens

I empty the Radio Flyer

As it alters my direction

And pulls me from the briar

 

Now, I no longer pull

But am led by this wagon

As my Radio Flyer is full

And light is my burden

 

Poem by Dave Douglas, who can be reached at carpevelo@gmail.com and is an artist, cyclist and writer.