Poem : Skating

The grinds I find today in the here and now
On the lip of a ramp or edge of a pool
Energize me as much as they did in my youth
Looking back
I now realize it’s all part of history
Ramps skated
Airs pulled
Jams going down
Some, captured these moments
With a click of their still photo lens
Holding the ones that were flying free in place for decades
On paper card photos tucked away neatly
To look back upon
To learn from and to teach the next generation
But the real lesson is taught by falling down and getting back up
By pushing your body to the point of breaking
It’s the only real way to learn
Yet, skating is also a place of balance
Where everything slows around you
In an extremely fast environment
Where one wrong move means pain or broken bones
But one right move brings you the feeling of being alive
When I don’t ride, I feel like I have ADD
People’s voices seem distant
My mind is moving so fast in this ever so demanding world
It’s almost impossible to concentrate on the simplest of task
But when I ride, it all slows to the perfect speed of understanding
Just wheels spinning
The wind on my face
Nothing consuming my thoughts
No worries saturating my brain
No bills
No phone calls
All there is to think about
Is the next transition
The next trick
This is my best explanation of why we skate
Why we fly, if only for a moment
For that moment takes us away from the mundane
The everyday
And makes us feel free once again