LANDLORD

At 5:30 a.m.
I OWN THE ROAD
aside from a few curious rabbits
it's just me and the wind
I'm streaking by houses
still in slumber
and cars
whose stone cold engine blocks sit idle
beneath dew covered hoods
the air is morning
and I'm happy to be alive--

By 5:45 a.m.
I OWN THE WORLD
it's just me and the rising sun
aside from an occasional car door slamming shut
and the heavy thud of a tightly wrapped bundle of first editions
it's just me and the wind
and with five miles behind me
my pulse has quickened...

By 6:00 a.m.
I OWN THE PLANET
I'm scaring rabbits back into their holes
and the sound of my rear derailleur finding another gear
seems large in this Idaho
and I'm streaking across silent pavement unnoticed

By 6:15 a.m.
I'm not alone
THE PLANET, THE WORLD, and THE ROAD
are no longer all mine
signs of life and civilization are everywhere
and I'm spinning for home

By 6:30 a.m.
with almost twenty miles behind me--
I'm ready to share...

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VINCENT LEVINE is a free-lance writer and can be reached at: vincent.levine@rocketmail.com