Silver and yellow, dragon colors,
one pounding piston to rattle
your bones. Shattered more than
one license plate, 288 pounds of
power, muscle machine, lifted that
front wheel like it had wings, sweet
machine with a decompression lever,
to start pull in lever, one down stroke
kick, then, as you go for the lightning
midway through the second kick hard,
let go of the lever, and if it didn’t kick
you back, you rode, if it kicked you
flew. Anyone who asked to “take it
for a spin”, I’d shut the machine down,
step back and say, “If you can start it, you
can take it for a ride.” Most times I’d
just sit back and watch as that 441
kicked them like a mule. I knew
only a biker could start that machine,
took me a while; I remember, in the
shop when I bought it brand new
the big bearded mechanic showed me
what to do and then stood there smiling for
a half-an hour while the bike schooled me.