Morning Bike Ride

I can be satisfied

with this ride

though the bends of the river tempted me

(Further down the trail, where the reflected riverbanks

braid back and forth against the river’s turns

their dance created

by the parallax

of my gliding bike

I, thus among them

swooping bright along their smooth dips

and the uncanny depth of sky)

I can stop here

where ducks kaleidoscope 

the mirror of the placid water

Gentle turbulence, further on

makes the reflection perfect

renders it in interlocking diamonds

gliding smoothly down

Colors shimmer, dazzle

Fireweed and roses

shine forth audacious purple and pinks

Willow limbs thrill in reflected ripple light

Precise lines of houses intersect the ripples’ circles

Though traffic-roar and sirens pierce the day

The mellow quiet hovers close

I can be satisfied

with this ride.

©Wendy Mulhern

August 4, 2011