Bicycle 

For Juan Gutierrez, delivery boy

 
Against a lamppost at Cedar and Greenwich,
it stands
dusted, war torn,
chained to the moment
of its own ceased labor,
awaiting the return of Juan Gutierrez
from a morning delivery at One World Trade
 
Now a shrine,
it stands
decorated with flowers, flags and Spanish prayers,
its wiry basket tied with paper ribbons
its grey, skeletal frame encircled
with melted candle wax, folded letters of farewell
and crayon drawn teardrops
 
On the edge of ground zHero
it stands;
a testament of one life, one story
of a hardworking young man
struggling, moving forward
to a place where bicycles
lead to dreams of better days ahead
 
 
 
 
copyright 2001, Frank Messina

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