NUMB

She crept between the walls and alleys, until I broke past:

There she stood, quietly moving through the forest, glorious stripes reaching

I was free. On my red bike. Mittens holding warmth, wool socks hugging toes
But my ears tormented. The wind to them, dull knives raucously sawing.
Dry eyes, tear-bitten.
I prayed, 'God, the pain in my ears, take it away, take it away, please God.'
Relief, immediate; they went numb. Gratefulness looking up, into a smile
I pedaled, city and city and city behind me.
I chased the sun. I chased the Mississippi. I chased a train.
The sun kept rising. The Mississippi kept flowing. The train kept laughing down its' road.
I made it home,
Grateful.