the bell on my bike
Little things (good and bad), have big impacts on me. I’m not sure why, but they do.
A couple of months ago, I bought a motorcycle. A small, manageable-for-me motorcycle. Or so I thought. Turns out riding a motorcycle isn’t as easy as one might have believed based on being a passenger.
Everyone knows motorcycle riding is an inherently risky activity. Even riskier when one is trying to learn. I have a looooong way to go. But I think I can do it. Equally important to believing I can is the support of those around me. Everyone needs cheerleaders.
Over the past couple of months, people from the biking community, people who don’t know me from a hole in the ground, have reached out to help me. I’m really grateful for their support.
Yesterday, two of my new-found friends and mentors — Christine and Peter — brought me a tiny riding talisman in a little black bag. A Guardian Bell (there’s more about the legend after the poem). Peter secured the bell to the belly of my bike. Today, the new Guardian Bell accompanied me and The Fox (that’s the name of my bike) on our first ride together as a trio.
This poem is about that. And about how magic comes in small packages.
the bell on my bike
by susan © 2021
the bell on my bike
there’s a bell on my bike
it lives underneath
wards off bad luck
protects like a sheath
it’s wrought from strong metal
and rings as I ride
drives evil insane
calls love to my side
this guardian bell
shiny, silver, and small
keeps me safe in the saddle
so I never will fall
who would’ve thought
such a minuscule thing
could cause me to fly
like a bird on the wing?
sure the magic of gifts
lies not in their size
but in the power they have
to turn lows into highs
there’s a bell on my bike
held fast by a heart
it’s sharing the road
with the life i now chart
About the legend of Guardian Bells:
Legend has it that evil road spirits have been latching themselves onto motorcycles for as long as there have been bikes on the road. These evil road spirits are responsible for mechanical problems and bad luck along the journey.
Legend goes on to say that by attaching a small bill onto your bike, the evil roads spirits will become trapped inside the bill where the constant ringing drives them insane, making them lose their grip until they fall onto the ground. (ever wonder where potholes come from?)
Legend also has it that the mystery of the Guardian Bell carries twice as much power when it is given by a friend or loved one as a gift.
I would encourage you to give someone you love the equivalent of a Guardian Bell for their bike, or bed, or board, or car, or whatever <3 Little gestures can make big differences in others’ lives.
© 2021 Susan Macaulay. I invite you to share my poetry and posts widely, but please do not reprint, reblog or copy and paste them in their entirety without my permission. Thank you.
