#21: In the Theatre of Ego
I am pedaling up
a steep pocked sidewalk.
I push the pedals
pull on the handlebars —
the bicycle barely
moves. I will not dismount
Will not surrender feet
to cement. I will
not. I will push
pedal, push. Feel the battle
in my breath. Heart
hammering against chest.
The wheel turns spoke
by spoke measuring
the distance to the top
and then the hill at last
plateaus and I can pedal
easily again.