My shadow and a cardinal, kept me company on the ride
The frogs are sleeping for the season, the winter sun is in the sky
I rode past Yorktown, my usual stopping place
I’ve missed the sweat of a hard ride, and had to up my pace
I felt my pain rewarded when a white tail deer appeared just as I had crested the rise. She stared at me for what seemed like an eternity and I braked hard and began to slide. She bolted at the screech of my brakes, into the woods, her tail visible as she raced. I rode hard after I saw her, heart pumping, muscles aching, a smile upon my face.
A few minutes later, mindful of the traffic, I stopped to walk my bike across the road. A car stopped to let me pass, when I saw another’s fast approach.
It’s breaks squealed, it swerved to avoid my Good Samaritan and stopped along side
I waved my gratitude. It was so clear to me that if she hadn’t stopped and waved me on I would have been the deer in the headlights of that fast approaching car.
My shadow and a cardinal, kept me company on the ride
The frogs are sleeping for the season, the winter sun lights the sky,
I am so lucky to be living
So lucky to be alive.
Daniel Rutberg 