For Clover, Elliott, and Tessa

You’re going to fall
That’s the first thing you need to know
You’re going to fall and it might hurt
But don’t be afraid of falling
And don’t be afraid to ride for fear of falling
Learn to fall and the riding will be less scary
There’s always band-aids at home

Keep your balance
If you find your self heading in the wrong direction
You can always turn in another
Eventually, you’ll know how to stay balanced without thinking about it much
And you’ll chose the path that seems best to you

Sometimes you’ll be going uphill
And sometimes you’ll be going downhill
You will find that going uphill is harder, it might even seem impossible
That’s okay, it will make you stronger and you’ll reach the top eventually
Going downhill will be scary sometimes
Especially if it is a big hill
But don’t be afraid and remember the first lesson
You will eventually reach the bottom of the hill
And continue straight
Or have to go up hill again

Lastly, remember to have fun
That’s what riding a bike is all about

 

Andrew Borne is 2 Cups Poet 1 teaspoon Musician 1/4 teaspoon Salt 1/2 cup Absurdity 3/4 cup Chef 1 egg, beaten 2 1/3 cups Family Man. Mixed together and served raw. His column 7x appears weekly in Oddball Magazine.