Beautiful

From a first glance;
My hands look soft and sweet.
Youthful, with nail polish;
And pretty rings to make them complete.

But I turn them over;
I feel the truth, it covers the surface.
Calisus, so ruff and deep;
Struggling to make ends meet.

I am so different now;
Yet I feel the same.
I sometimes walk alone;
Hunched over with shame.

Watching my life in a glass ball;
The past always haunting;
Dreaming of more;
Stressful days taunting;
Negativity seeks out my tired core

Gliding through life;
With two wheels on the ground.
Searching for answers;
Only its understanding I've found.

As my true self through riding;
Its balance I seek.
To live with complete focus;
By riding the street.

I look down dark alleys;
They call out my name.
Bright street lights;
Strange obstacles;
We are one in the same.

My riding, my peace;
My children, my joy.
My future uncertain;
My past troubles destroyed.

So I ride on;
Through pain, stress, and through fear;
I ride for my children;
For myself;
To tune into my true center;
To see life more clear.

To show them my balance;
Through years of hard work.
To show them my passion;
To show them through focus;
The pain doesn't lurk.

My children come first;
My riding second;
Myself a close third;
But we melt together as one family;
To ride out life's crazy curves.

Anita Hodgin
Sept. 2002