O Lapierre, how I’ve missed you so.
It’s been more than two months since last I stood astride your lithe silhouette.
And though it was cold enough to glaze the streams and sloughs, the sun’s glow and the thought of mounting you warmed me
Preparing for our rendezvous was no small task
A cacaphony of layers pulled from the closet and drawers
Each warmer than the last
First one shirt, then two than three
The booties pulled tightly over my shoes
The flaps of the cap beneath my helmet pulled down over my ears
Heavy gloves formed snugly over my fingers
We clip-clopped to the elevator for our date with destiny
O how I’ve longed for this reunion
however brief it may turn out to be
And so we set out on our sojourn
Legs pumping, out united selves thrusting forward along the chipped and gritty pavement
It’s been dry lo the past three days, but still there is grime and cinder
The occasional patch of frost of which to be wary
Nostrils burn
Chest heaves
Eyes tear
Leaden clouds slide in from the western horizon
Could they be bringing snow?
We press on
past familiar shoreline and brush, the leaves brown in their winter crispness
Ducks huddle together
Crows converge of road kill rats
The passing trucks give us wide berth, surprised to see us perhaps?
I can feel you beneath me, yearning to go faster, farther
as we had so often in the blush of summer’s warmth
But the hiatus has not been kind to my thighs
And the cold air is beginning to penetrate my layers
Just shy of 20 kilometres, it’s time to turn around you and I, to retrace the steps of our flirtation
This is how it had started many months ago when first we met
This is how it starts again, our second season together
Who knows where the road will take us…