god bless Evel Knievel
god bless Evel Knievelmotorpsycho rage
life on the edge
like Jim
a man who lived on the outskirts for us
drove his bike to the ridge for us
waved at us, and laughed with us
mocked death & tempted fate with us.
how ironic
how anticlimactic
that he succumb in such a way
still only 69, but his time came
not at the bottom of a canyon
or in the twisted flaming wreckage of a car
or slapped up against hot Vegas concrete
not with bang, not a bang at all
but like most of us
w/ a soft subdued whimper.
the Muslims can bow towards Mecca all they want
but today I will bow towards Butte.
-----------------------------
what perfect timing
what radiant synchronization
tonight as I get down
with my poet's tribute to a daredevil spirit
comparing him to Jim
I sit down in bed, sick as a damn dog, for what it's worth
watching a retrospective and interviews with Evel
and the man, a young Evel, on his way to a jump
quotes, "Light my fire baby. Come on baby light my fire."
And he says, I wasn't part of a team; a two man show
I was one man against the odds and I captured the hearts and minds of Americans.
one man.
amen.
RIP Evel. Buy a bike for Jim and you two go tour the rock and roll canyons of heaven.
