R.M. Dolin, February 12, 2024
It’s a silly simple bike I bought used at that shop on the edge of town during my second visit to Versailles, but I do so love it. Memories get carried on it’s glossy gray frame that only has space for smiles. I’m transported to that cloudy afternoon we picnicked in the nature park where you worried we’d get caught but never told me to stop, or the day we rode in the rain through the forest and rested beside a small pond eating store bought salad while I talked about riding the Paris-Roubaix to suffer over muddy cobblestones hoping you'd be impressed. Each and every memory cataloged by my heart in a sacred place that holds you dear. I’ll miss my bike that I so love, but just can’t allow myself to ride if you’re not beside me.
Background poem for the novel, “The Dangling Conversation.” Kyle reminiscences on the wonderful moments he and Nadia shared as they cycled around Versailles.
