JOHN IRVING CLARKE
The sycamore sapling sited
on the curve of the carefully chosen
soft grass verges route in the park.
Twice the scene of a near-hit
as the cycle wobbled the bend, foreshadowing
a cartoon image of a man chasing
the maiden voyage of a boy on a bike
without stabilisers.
Thirty years on, the tree stands tall.
English reserve may forbid
vernal hugging, but as we walk the park
his mother and I nod acknowledgement
of the green figure’s role in combating chaos.
Once standing as learning post,
now capturing CO2 and helping
us breathe.
A vast ocean and three thousand miles
away from home, the boy still pedals.
One of a great horde today on closed
Big Apple roads, rolling through the five boroughs,
crossing East River and Hudson on mighty bridges
with Lady Liberty’s New World benediction
bearing the torch for those yearning to breathe.
(Photo by the author, Manygates Park, England.)