The Bedside Book of Evel Knievel — Poetry by Glen Armstrong

 
We experience air.
We experience hang-time.

We close our eyes
and consciousness peels a pear.

It wonders for a moment
where it left its keys

before realizing there
is nowhere left.

The key’s point of view
is our only point

of view for three, two,
one . . . we peel

the pear right down
to its underinflated

                                    tires.

Wires and birds

               are dirty cheaters.
I’ve been bracing

for impact
               for years,

               the handle bars
               never quite centered,

               every muscle clenched.
A rattling skull.

A skeleton world.
Made of flags.

~ ~ ~
Glen Armstrong holds an MFA in English from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and teaches writing at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. He also edits a poetry journal called Cruel Garters.