Here's You Biking | DESCENT Issue #4

Celine Wen

After Monica Sol

Here’s where you first completed a 360-degree turn in the concrete front yard

After your father screwed off the training wheels

After witnessing the sky dim and feeling the initial raindrop

Here’s your father’s reassuring encouragement

Penetrating through your victorious laughs

The same deep, confident, echoing voice that softens

When he sees you snuggled up in the bunk bed

Whispering “good night, bye-bye, have a good dream…”

Here’s the second 360 circle you completed

The third, the fourth, with increasing velocity

Here’s your mom waving from the 6th floor, cheering you on

Here’s the fifth turn

When the raindrops pushed your wheel sideways

When the angle of your bike was one degree off

And you slide and tilt onto the moist concrete

Leaving your knees a mixture of disturbed skin, blood, and dust

Here’s you holding back tears as your joy still overpowered the burns

Here’s your father picking up the bicycle while offering a steady warm hand

Here’s you out-growing the bunk bed

Your parents sacrificing for your education

You translating every phone call

You impatiently yelling to mama, it's how much IS this not how much OF this!

You complaining to your father

When he's too prideful to admit

That grocery shopping alone without English frightens him

Here's your mama dripping cold sweats after surgery

Your father's hands six steps away

Glued to his iPhone

When your mama whined from their no-longer shared bedroom

The pain audible from the kitchen table where you sit, distracted by your Zoom class

Here's you waiting for your father's response

Disappointed by the lack of footsteps

Here's you rushing up to mama

Holding back tears as your complaints barged out first

Mama argued, He didn't do it on purpose

Now that your father's hands are six thousand miles away

You maneuver your bike effortlessly

Turning in circles until the LA sunshine scorches the concrete

As if California's rain will bring your father's soothing voice back