Ode to Silver

Ode to Silver:

I call her National Silver

How I know it is a female I don't know

National is the brand name of the bike

I almost lost her at Higashihanazono station

Someone moved her and I couldn't find her in the dark

I tied pink string to the handlebars so I could find her easily

She only goes three speeds

Normal for flat surfaces

Slow when she goes uphill

Fast when she goes downhill

She has increased my travel distance by an order of magnitude

She's taken me to downtown Osaka, up the mountain toward Ikoma, north to the library and south to the road  to Fuse

Today we took a tumble

I was impatient to get by an old lady on a three wheeler

I went to cross over to the other side and hit a curb

The bike went down and I broke the bell

I knew the front brakes were suspect but I hadn't gotten around to fixing them

I know there is a metaphor about shutting the barn doors after the horse has left

But I took it to the bike store and replaced the front brakes and gave her a new bell

Thanks for your service Silver and high ho Silver away!!!!!!!!