Untouching

[Gina]

Untouching

I might as well have been on the edge of the world
Getting ready to jump off
according to the weak, sick feeling running through my veins.
Bike between my legs—motor running—highway before me
And I’m scared—new biker scared—babe in the woods scared.
So scared I couldn’t even imagine what I wanted the wheels to do—
So scared I couldn’t believe that the motorcycle would obey me
And lean to the left
to smoothly cross the yellow line and transport me on down the road.

I make a loser’s attempt—knowing while I did it that I
Should have leaned more—should have turned the throttle more
And two heart-pounding seconds later, I am on the other side of the road
Feet on the pavement in failure—off the road as far as I can get
Without going into the yard that only a few seconds ago had been across the street from me.

I stood there straddling my cycle—in a state of shameful terror, unable to even swallow and then—I saw a woman walking towards me.
She was going to her mailbox
While I sat there---shaking---dry-mouthed--- watching her
She got her mail without acknowledging me
Without even looking at me----and turned to walk slowly back down her sidewalk
Head bent
While she searched her mail.

And through the tumult still going on underneath my helmet
I wondered
If a car had swooped down over the hill and knocked me into the air to land at her feet
Broken like a bird that slammed into a windshield
Would she have noticed me then?

I think so. I think she might have even forgotten her mail—maybe even dropped it to the ground before she screamed.

But why do I have to meet death
To even be acknowledged
By my neighbor?

Regina Russell

[tymanthius]

That's beautiful! And accurate. Sounds just like my first attempt, except my front wheel left the ground by an ich or so.

[Gina]

Thank you. I plan to put some more stuff on here as my biking experiences add up. I just got a blog too and I put this poem on it for my first entry. The blog is called "The Grand Vista of Bards". lol