Passage 27

Top-Ten Mountain Bike Rides, #4.

Reader-response poem

 

Matt:

“What’s this

unmarked bike trail?”

Jimbo:

“A respite from rocky Ringwood.”

Your favorite escape here:_______________________

Matt:

“Jimbo’s going down.

He braked going over

that sharp rock.

No cursing .

He must be all right.”

Your crash here:

______________________________________

Matt , to himself:

“Guess I’ll lead

through the rock garden.

It’s a dip and shake.

Jimbo takes on the traverse.

Nice end-o turn

120 degrees

Next traverse

Another end-o turn.

He’s going for it!

Bottoming out  and up

solid rock.

Didn’t make it.”

Your best move here:

________________________________

Jimbo:

“Not enough momentum, Matt

It needs more rock’ n’ roll.”

Your best advice here:

_________________________________

Matt:

“I’m not ready

For this technical shit.”

Your  deepest doubt here:

_______________________________

Jimbo:

“Hard right.

The branches are lying left

for a reason.

I’m going over.

Whoop-dee—doo!”

Your all- time thrill here:

______________________________

Matt:

“You’ve got to be kidding me.

Nice log -hopping

after that 8- foot drop.”

Your best compliment here:

_________________________________

Jimbo:

“No air necessary.

Let yourself roll down.

Hang over your seat

and pedal over the logs.”

Your last encouragement here:

________________________________

Matt:

“ Well done ,mate,

Well done!

What’s this called?”

Your most frequent question here:

________________________________

Jimbo:

“Renegade.”

Your personal renegade move:

___________________________________

Matt:

“Like you.”

Your best comparison of yourself to something else:

___________________________________

Autobiographical Exercise: complete the blank responses, and then string them togetherness without explanation or

Further comment.

The string can form a poem. Each of the responses can also be the nucleus of a poem.