A Couple of Poems I Wrote

Here are a couple of poems I wrote.

A Biker’s Sonnet

I know why Columbus[1] saw the sea’s tide,
And where the world drops off the other side,
And thought, “Ol’ boy, that’s where you need to go.”
I know why Neil and Buzz[2] walked on the moon
And why Michael[3] went along for the ride.

Polo, Cortez, Lindbergh[4] all had it, too:
That obsession to see the journey through.
It pulsed in and pushed and called them to know
Like how the desert beckoned Benjamin[5].
Each step along the way is ever new.

There’re things out there the map can never show.
Those in their cages never really know.

But it’s in my blood, that calling to roam.
If you come with me, RIDE HARD OR STAY HOME!


[1] Christopher Columbus, of course.
[2] Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, of the Apollo 11 Mission, the first two men to walk on the moon.
[3] Michael Collins was also on the Apollo 11 mission, but did not walk on the moon because he had to stay aboard the command module that remained in orbit to ensure the others’ safety.
[4] Marco Polo, who explored a path to China from Europe; Cortez, who explored and conquered Central America; Charles Lindbergh, who was the first to fly solo across the Atlantic.
[5] Benjamin of Tudela, a 12th century European who explored a path to Asia from Europe, then crossed the Sahara Desert in Northern Africa.

and

Grace

I now accept the road and all it sends,
Its rocks and sand, its potholes and its bends.
I now receive the sun and rain and winds.
Reluctantly, I, too, embrace its ends.
I put my faith in this machine I ride.
On these two wheels, there is no place to hide.
It lives in me, and I in it abide.
In bolts and gears, rod and shaft I confide.
I know me, like a too familiar song.
I know just how far I can ride, how long.
I know all the places I can go wrong.
I know myself, where I am weak and strong.
When road, the ride, and rider become one
Are Peace and Grace and then the trip’s begun.

As you can see, there is a theme in my writing lately. I hope you're able to read between the lines on the second. Here are some hints: 1) The road isn't really about the road; 2) abide is a biblical word; 3) "rod" is an antiquated word used to refer to an instrument of execution, and "rod and shaft" sounds an awful lot like "rod and..."