oblivious — poem

The 4th in Chicago, over 100 degrees. When I ride to the prairie park it always astounds me how much cooler it is to be off of the highway. As I cycle, I see one thousand miracles and smile secretly at a young couple and their Iphone. How strange are they young, or maybe, how strange am I.

As the sun begins to wane
I cycle Springbrook Park
where even in the cloudless heat
the wind always seems to blow

Crushed limestone beneath my wheels
sings and crackles with the joy of movement
while goldfinches flash like treasure in the sun
and rabbits steal the sun’s last rays

One secret trail leads up a gentle hill
overlooking water, pristine prairie, cloudless sky
young man and pretty girl, sitting closely on hewn bench
oblivious to me as Iphone beckons

Chuckling I pass unseen, singing wheels unheeded
marveling with dragon fly companion
wings flashing, a frozen diamond in the sun
until he darts away and I abandoned turn toward home

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