Training Wheels

I must have been no more thansix or seven

When I learned to ride usingtraining wheels on

A little blue bike that Irode much too fast

And wound up destroyingbefore it wrecked me.

 

I learned to balance in veryshort order;

Learned to fly without leavingthe ground;

Learned the spirit of kineticmotion that

Stirred my soul and set itfree.

 

A few trips over the handlebars,

A few dips into the puddlesof Spring,

A few slips and slides in thegraveled driveway

Resulting in torn pant leg andskinned up knee.

 

Lessons are easy when youngand resilient,

And balance is learned at thedrop of a hat,

And vision is clear for thefuture is now

And our day is filled withsimplicity.

 

Pity we can't use trainingwheels

In learning to scale our emotionallives

Where balance is often afleeting companion

Blinded by sunlight, unableto see.