Night Bike
A polished skeleton gleams in the porch light,
meshing gears rattle silver bones.
He slides tubes under his legs,
pivots on a straining fulcrum,
knee’s unlocking a juddering thrust.
He rides by night
pondering a nocturnal test flight.
Lights flicker as wheels turn.
Head bent, he powers downhill,
lamps sucking energy
through metallic stems.
Stringy tendons
knotted to angular levers,
then uphill,
dynamo stuttering, counter-assaults
of implacable darkness.
The dim road
saps,
but he will not stop.
He imagines he has a blueprint
for a flying bike.
He believes that a drawing
can be bolted together by thought.
He imagines an alloy so light
it can be lifted intact
from the page — be airborne.
The boy turns for home,
there is work to be done,
wings to be hammered together
on paper anvils.
Post Comments
Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth so only provide specific positive comments that indicate what you appreciate about the poem. Negative comments will result your account being banned.
Please
Login
to post a comment
Turn off ads, get more exposure for your poetry, and get more features with a
Premium Membership.
