From shipyard summer wages
I got myself a horse.
a soldered steed of tapered steel
with gears to match my strength
A steed for youthful eagerness,
a steed in red and black,
a steed that took me there and back,
through urban wilderness
I kept it in my bedroom,
my ticket to be cool,
I kept it very safe a while,
my ticket to be late at night,
my ticket to meet girls.
And thus I met with you.
Then, one morning it was gone,
it was stolen — it was lost.
Forfeit my shiny steed of steel
but still you stayed with me ….
This what my first real bicycle looked like.
At real toads, Herotemost wants us to write about our first “vehicle”, mine was a 12 speed french roadbike, and it rocked a lot to be able to get around. It was my companion for about two years, and during that time I met with my wife to be. But one night my bicycle was stolen outside her apartment.
January 9, 2014
Björn Rudbergs writings 
Bjorn, Well written piece. Sad that he lost the bike, but great he still had the girl. 🙂 — Suzanne
This was written about myself.. and yes the girl is still with me..
My first vehicle, so to speak, was also a bicycle. An ugly blue, clumsy beast but it carried me faithfully for years. When I graduated from high school, i bought myself a ’63 chevy belair convertible, gold with white ragtop. Totalled it a few years later after being too wild and reckless. Loved that car…a luxury cruise ship in the midst of noisy little motor boats.
Ah.. this was my first real bicycle.. I had an ugly one before that one.. but this was stepping up a bit. I didn’t get myself a car until I was 40…
We americans love our cars! I think people in los angeles would rather drive 2 blocks than walk.
Lose a bike, gain a wife?!! Great story!
My first car was also stolen – that was a devastation like no other.
Ah, this takes me back to my own white steed of post-adolescence. Love the cadence here Bjorn, and the conclusion falls lightly and neatly on the ear. Two wheels are sometimes better than four, and saddling up and riding any way you decide to go more fun than a GPS robot.
When I was eighteen, living on my own for the first time I saved enough pennies to pay $250.00 for a new bike from a custom bike shop. It was a princely sum for me as I was very poor and I remember getting a t-shirt with the bike that said “Put something nice between your legs, get a custom bike from LBS”
I love your steed!
This is wonderful and sweet. If one were to be lost, better the bicycle than love 🙂
Sweet. Glad the girl stayed.
Darn thief! Happy the girl stayed. That is the blessing your two wheels brought. 🙂
Yayyy!!!! I to am a cyclist so this hits home. Is that an old Motobecane? I love bikes. Heavy sigh. Thanks for playing, that was great!
lovely workings going on here
I so dreamed of a banana seat bike with those deep handles – never got one. I had my western saddle stolen from my garage this summer – so frustrating. I can only imagine the shipyard hours were long and hard – its great to earn something like that – so many kids are handed things these days.s
Great tale and twist — men in their youth have love the braggadoccio of fast ‘n’ loud cars, think that’s an extension of their own manliness: but the truth is usually short of four wheels and 400 horsepowers. You turn this wonderfully at the end.
So very charming! Glad that you got to keep the girl! k .
This channels a bit of a knight and his lady parody which when pinned against the tale of “a boy-a girl-and his bike” is very charming and enchanting.
Awww, so sweet !! You had me going until the last stanza. Didn’t dream of it being a bike. Nice poem, nice ride.
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Loved it. Made me chuckle! Glad the girls was not just attracted to the ‘wheels’.