words by Noah Noyes, Illustration by Natalie Vogt
Standing ready outside the shop door is my two-wheeled love affair
Her tire nestled neatly in the rack pointing her down towards our path
Patiently poised is her energy; coiled up like a spring yearning to turn kinetic
Her gravity is strong, pulling my every glance out the door towards the light
My eyes beg to trace every graceful curve and fast bend in her landscape
Like a time machine her lines send me back to the hotter, harder, faster days of summer
The rain falling on this soggy dark day dances lightly in the air almost like it’s snowing
The sun’s waning gravity marks the change keeping me inside, away from the cold and wet
It’s not nearly freezing yet, but a glossy patchwork of slick color coats the forest floors
Still my every sparing glance is sucked in by her energy as she urges me on to certain joy
But outside and inside forces all confine me to the necessities of the season
Shackled to earthly needs and bound by obligation I can only resist the yearning within
The cool air will turn cold, the dancing rain to snow and the shop door will close very soon
She’ll retire to her winter refuge, removing my temptation till the thaws of spring come again
Till then I can only touch her memory in my mind seeking inspiration for our next season of bliss
