Watershed Moment

R.M. Dolin, February 5, 2024

I have to see you, hold
your tender hands, look
deeply into your soft eyes that cannot lie,
to know
it’s really over.
If not now, then when I’m in Paris
for the Roubaix Challenge, 
which is currently in jeopardy.

I was hit by a car on my bike
while training. As paramedics
itemized the damage
while hooking up a fentanyl IV
and cutting away layers of clothes,
I started to cry.
It’s undignified I know,
not something cowboys
are supposed to do.

It wasn’t because of immense pain
or the loss of my bike,
in my manic moment I knew
if my bike is broke
and body busted,
I can’t come to France for the race, 
which means I won’t have
an excuse to see you,
and that matters most.

It was a watershed moment,
overwhelming in the
profound understanding of
just how much
you matter.
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