Pied Piping

I followed your painted yellow metal bar
For a whole nineteen months we stayed together
Even in bad weather I didn’t mind the chalky brown splashes
Where do you want to go now? 

The bright pink plastic line wrapped around
We could go wherever we wanted
Only room for one on the saddle anyway
No more guilt or as good as gold, steady up and away I go 

Brown, yellow and pink
Down streets that winked then stop when I felt like it
Eyes unwavering and free
I locked you up only briefly 

A bit of a puncture and only one gear
Maybe I don’t need the added extras – that’s fear
Being back on old ground I’ve gotten sidetracked again Other saddles on the course; cluttered – moving in
Steady up the reins 

And so I knit you a yellow pipe
To look out through
A tune you can play to light up the stars
And when you focus, you can still see who you are. 

STEPH SHEAHAN