Rolling Roxy

Gliding down the freeway

In my little blue skates 

Rolling on down 

To the city 

Trying to keep up 

With all the old broncos 

Horses in their own right 

Wheeling free 

Down the highway 

I know it’s not right 

And no it’s not safe 

But I had to get out of the suburbs

They honk my way 

In disdain for my carelessness

But I do care

They just can’t see 

They are driving too fast 

To catch my smile 

In their dirty rear view 

Dizzy in the heat 

Humidity feeling heavy 

All of me is sweating 

Water droplets down my neck

And my thighs 

Rolling 

Grabbing onto the side mirrors 

Of the boys who slow down 

Glass between our persons 

Both manically laughing 

Enjoying the freedom of it all

Or perhaps just the power 

Tom Petty through the speakers

Numbed by the insulation

Letting go 

I see him off 

Knowing he’s noticing me 

In his past tense 

Almost in the city 

Five miles to go 

Sunny days 

And my summer daze 

Leave me feeling diluted 

Watered down 

Weary in the best way 

Exhaustion of the mind 

And the muscles 

Leaves no room for self defence 

Not weakness

Simple vulnerability 

Crying as I skate a little slower now 

Not sad 

Just a release

Freedom, I think 

Even just for this moment 

A police officer to my right 

Hiding beneath the bridge 

Flashes sirens my way 

I wave him away 

No time to stop 

I must make it to the city 

Before dawn 

I want to sit on the bridge 

With the water beneath my feet

Watching the sun melt into her next day 

A megaphoned voice 

Willing me to stop 

But I’ve listened to enough men today 

And the sound is behind me 

In my past as far as I can tell

Leave him be

Two more miles to the city 

Take the ramp off of Yonge

Pushing at the ground beneath me 

Holding onto the guarder rails 

The sun can be unkind 

In the way she burns 

Rash skin

Red nose 

Sticky in my sweat 

Then I see her 

The lonesome bridge 

The one I used to run across as a child 

It looks much smaller now 

Rolling 

And pushing 

Then gliding 

Now sitting 

With my thighs sticking to the coated wood 

Just in time 

To watch the blue sky bleed red 

Just in time to say goodbye to the day 

Welcome the night 

There goes the sun 

Little darling 

There she goes 

And all feels right

Rolling on down 

To her next destination 

In her little blue skates 

Dizzy in her freedom

Dancing through our days