Mark remembers
seventy Harleys
lining the street
in front of church
the day of his father's funeral.
Seventy reasons
a little boy dreams
of the open road,
the wind in his face,
the view of the landscape
from the saddle of a Harley.
Sixteen years later,
a young man
with money in the bank
shops for a Harley Sportster
and listens to his mother's
reasons, wishes, fears.
Mark buys a Mustang--four wheels,
so his mother can sleep nights,}
not lose another man she loves,
or ever see the sight
of seventy Harleys
in front of church again.
(published in Fine Lines, Spring 1999)