Yesterday morning
On
My daily walk
I noticed a wheel
(From a child's wagon perhaps)
In the grass
At
The top
Of an extremely
Steep street.

My instant thought
Was
To pick up
This
Rubber and metal wheel
And
Toss it
Full force
Down
That sharp slope.
To see
How far
It would go
(What it might hit).

Before
I could bend down
It
Struck me -
I am
Over fifty years old.
At
This age
Others
Have become
Captains of industry
Distinguished contributors
To
Mankind's mark.
Grandfathers.
I sheepishly resisted
The raging impulse
To
Roll that beckoning wheel.

Several times
Last night
I thought about
That wheel.
How
It might have rolled.
Gaining velocity
As
It barreled
Downhill.
Today
On my
Morning walk
I was
Mildly suprised
To see that wheel
In
The same spot
Just off the sidewalk.

It's not there anymore.

06/14/2006