Accident (For Patrick)

Sometimes we imagine and are fooled.
Sometimes we fly
right over the edge of the ditch,
forgetting why
a bike is ridden on wheels.
Amazed at the depth of water
and brain gone still,

we can only bellow at the cold;
when no longer chilled
and holding a cup of hot chocolate,
it’s hard to think
why we rode with such heedless abandon.
It has been made quite clear
that we could have even been killed.

In this way, we learn about obsession:
how passion can build and drive us
toward careless or reckless behavior,
while what we warn friends about
is wet grass, how tires slide,
and the danger of flight over water
absent wings or wires.