Sonnet for a Stunt Rider By Kevin Canfield

Sonnet for a Stunt Rider

A kid on my street pulls wheelies all day 
On a bike with one modification 
She’s removed the front tire, it’s not horseplay
Her riding style’s a real innovation 

She didn’t get a flat, never has crashed
What we’re seeing is a demonstration
She’s tough, sinewy, energetic, brash
Lives to defy categorization 

I swear she can cover a quarter-mile
Without a single break, flipping the bird 
At the neighborhood boys who lack her guile,
Clueless lads, from them not a word is heard

She’s Evel Knievel, but better still
Her cycle hasn’t a gas tank to fill

Kevin Canfield is a writer in New York City. His work has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, Cineaste and other publications.