Before

No shoes and a glossy
red helmet, I rode
on the back of my dad’s
Harley at seven years old.
Before the divorce.
Before the new apartment.
Before the new marriage.
Before the apple tree.
Before the ceramics in the garbage.
Before the dog’s chain.
Before the koi were all eaten
by the crane. Before the road
between us, there was the road
beneath us, and I was just
big enough not to let go:
Henno Road, creek just below,
rough wind, chicken legs,
and I never knew survival
was like that. If you live,
you look back and beg
for it again, the hazardous
bliss before you know
what you would miss.

Credit

Copyright © 2015 by Ada Limón. Used with permission of the author.

About this Poem

“Oh to go back to the days ‘before we knew better.’ In this poem I wanted to capture that thrill of absolute freedom before the great leveling fear of death pierced the mind. I miss that motorcycle.”
Ada Limón