Thoughts On a Slow Night, In A Distant Time Zone

[Oldun]

It little profits that an idle Oldun,

Beside this still house, inside this barren garage,

Housing only small-capacity bikes, I polish and clean

V-twins unto a high gleam,

That look good, get me to work, but deliver not

Neck-vertebrae-crunching acceleration.


I cannot rest from travel. Again I will fly

Into LAX. All riding in the US I have enjoyed

Greatly, have also broken down en route to Sturgis '07

Yet though stranded in Wyoming, was not alone;

When through the miracle of cellphones

And exercise of diagnostic skills I was my own mechanic.

Firing up the 502, I dodged deer and hail in '08

And rode from sea to shining sea in '09.



Much riding have I done in parts of the globe;

Roads of dirt and stones, and cobbles,

Collected tickets not least, but paid them all;

And boasted with my peers:

The older I get the faster I was.



I am part of all that I have met;

Yet all experience is an arch wherethrough

Gleams that untravelled world, whose margin fades

For ever and for ever when I open the throttle.



How dull it is to pause, to make an end,

To use the time only to polish, not to ride!



The lights must twinkle on the I-5:

Six lanes of traffic, three lanes moving slow; EMS vehicles

Moan round with many sirens. Come, my friends,

'Tis not too late to plan a new route to ride.

Whether by Boss, Chopper, Harley, or trike, push off,

And sitting well in the saddle

Hit the gas; for my purpose holds

To ride beyond the state line

And barrel down the interstates

Avoiding semis and RVs, lest I die.



It may be that a state trooper will flag me down,

That water pump or alternator bracket will fail,

Or unscathed I shall again ride Deal’s Gap and the Dragon’s Tail,

With the great brotherhood of riders, few of whom I yet know.



Though much is taken, much abides; and though

I am not the highest mileage rider nor yet a speed king,

The miles I ride are on wheels not trailers.

While weak in tech know-how, yet strong in determination

To ride, to arrive, to celebrate, and repeat...

[AR]

Aarrr Oldun matey. Indeed the slow river runs deep.

[Ric]

That pretty much sums it up Doc! Well written, and well meant! Now, all we need to do is get Bob Seger to put music to it... You'll both be able to retire! And ride!