The day after Krysta and Danny’s wedding, I found this poem at Powell’s bookstore and shared it with them over breakfast, after signing the marriage certificate.
Podcast for Bicycles by Nikki Giovanni
I loved before
I understood;
Love is a skill
I loved my Mother’s cool hands
On my forehead
I loved the safety
Of her arms
I trusted
Before I understood
The word
Mommy would say
When I had fallen:
“Come here, Nikki,
and I’ll pick you up”
and I would wipe my eyes
push myself off my fat bottom
and tottle over to her
for my reward:
a kiss and a “That’s my Big Girl!”
I am still a sucker
For that one
But I grew up
And learned
Trust and love
Are crafts we practice
Are wheels
We balance
Our lives on
Are BICYCLES
We ride
Through challenges and changes
To escape and ecstasy
