the pass

One day in April, I was riding with a couple of others somewhere in the Ontario Highlands when I saw another rider approaching a long way down the road.

It’s not unusual to cross paths with other motorcyclists, particularly in the Highlands, which has awesome roads and is motorcycle friendly.

However, I rarely recognize other riders or their bikes, especially if they are nothing more that a black dot on the horizon when I first spot them. But this time, despite the significant distance still between us, I knew immediately who it was.

Gut feeling as they say.

I rolled along at the speed limit ( as I always do 😛 ), which meant I was going about 80 kph give or take a kph or two (or three at most!). Meanwhile, the oncoming rider, whom I respect for his skill, was having what is often referred to in the motorcycling community as a ‘spirited’ rip.

My friend and riding partner James, who was with me, had affixed his 360 degree video camera to my handlebars and the rider was captured as he passed us going in the opposite direction. That’s what you see in the pic above.

The poem below is about the experience.

the pass

by susan © 2024

Listen here (recommended)

Read here:

something black
in the distance
flies the path
of least resistance

like fighter jets
or bullet trains
it rockets down
oncoming lanes

testing speeds
claimed to be slow
at which few riders
dare to go

gyroscopes through
sweeping turns
inner passion
like fire burns

golden lines
on racing rims
trace endless
death-defying spins

one split second
at the pass
one quick breath
when eyes are cast

at fingers pointed
to the ground
in recognition
we have found

on this, a highlands’
winding road
precious gifts,
a mother lode

Note: a mother lode is a principal vein or zone of gold or silverore. The term is also used colloquially to refer to the real or imaginary origin of something valuable or in great abundance.

© 2024 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.