Zachary is on his bicycle
peddling fast into the fall-sun,
splashing through the bright
reds and purples of leaves
that the maples and great oaks
have shed to the ground.

Last you knew, the training wheels
were a struggle, getting stuck in
the cracks and mudslides of sidewalks.
His has bypassed the level of stage
of falls and spills, getting angry
with the training of peddling
and steering, balancing on a line
of telephone poles as black crows
awaiting to catch their prey below.

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Anthony Liccione lives in Texas and works for the electric company.