Happy Valentine’s Day – to one of my earliest companions.
Long before the charms of girls filled my head with intoxicating and effervescent waves of bliss and mystery,
Long before those waves sucked me in and thrashed my heart on uneasy seas of emotion,
Long before my body would fill with up with butterflies, and later release my deepest cries,
I was a child in love with the bicycle,
I was a child at times in concert with that functional design, riding a line that merged boundless freedom within the confines of nature,
And though I’ll never forget the icy flush that rushed in after cracking my nuts on the handlebar stem long ago in RJ’s driveway,
And that my legs burn with the fire of respect at the top of any good hill despite that admirable mechanical advantage,
I’m as much in love with the machine today.
Thank you bicycle,
for all the good years.
-Scott Pardi 2013-02-14