The bike
Is your friend.
It was made for this.
I keep my arms
springy and soft
like the shocks.
I try to stay
supple, light,
in control.
Erin flies ahead
down the hill.
She is younger
and faster than I am.
The trails have
nice names
like Sidewinder,
Crestline,
Kestrel,
a sandy trail
that climbs
through the open
treeless hills.
I listen to Erin
in exactly the opposite
way that I listen to other
people, which is to tune them
out:
parents,
in-laws,
spouse.
Erin,
without really trying,
speaks wisdom.
Whatever direction
you are looking,
that is where you’ll go.
Stay loose and light.
Don’t change gears
while pushing hard
on the pedals.
We ride past
scattered patches
of Bachelor’s Button.
Blue and white.
We pass the sage,
and desert grasses,
waving back and forth
with a quiet, airy sound.
All the hills: ablaze
in that almost neon,
but subtly softer
green,
signifying
new growth.
When we reach
the top of a ridge,
the city spills out below us.
See how far you’ve come!
The bike makes it easy,
like a friend who gives
you tips and speaks
to you in tiny kernels of truth
that may be small enough
for you to manage.
When Wisdom,
comes to you,
The sages say,
(not the ones shaking in the wind,
though maybe those too)
you should listen.
When Wisdom wanders up
and down the path,
calling out,
you should heed her words.
Over time,
you’ve heard a lot of
what passes for wisdom:
“What you need to do…”
“If I were you…”
“You know, it’s true…”
But, that’s not wisdom,
really.
Just opinions.
Wisdom is gentler than you
thought
and less expected.
Sometimes it arrives
when you’re ready
to soak it in.
Like a friend who says,
“What do you want to know
about mountain biking?”
Everything!
Stay loose
in the legs
and arms.
Shift your weight
forward
when climbing,
back
when descending.
You won’t lose your balance.
Don’t worry about hitting the brakes.
Just don’t hit them when you’re
in a turn.
Don’t worry about the rocks
and roots and bumps in the road.
Look ahead, where you want
to go, and you’ll just roll right
through
them.
-Melanie Mendenhall is a freelance editor. She enjoys writing short stories and the occasional poem. Melanie is learning to mountain bike in her spare time. Thanks and congratulations to Melanie! The IWG Blog will open up to submissions again on August 1st.
Idaho Writers Guild 
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