A little girl and her daddy,
a green and purple bike,
handlebar tassels twirling.
He grips the seat, steadies.
Leans in close, encourages.
They are off—
“Down up down up”
he reminds.
Keep pedalling.
Keep pedalling and somehow
you and your bike
will balance,
travel forward.
I wanted to follow, cheering.
To tell her how biking can be
giddy yell-out-loud fun,
and oh, the things you can see,
and the places you can go,
and yes, there are hills,
and yes, there is wind,
and yes, the weather is not always
sunny blue warm.
But a girl who can pedal
down up down up
can travel through adolescence
right into adulthood,
even with hills and mountains,
wind and rain.
Keep pedalling little one.
Keep pedalling.
