Sometimes,

I just need to hit the trails

Ride them as far as they go

Pedaling furiously and

Cornering sloppily,

Dangerously close to tree trunks

Sometimes,

I just need to fall

Tires spinning out in

Loose soil

Stinging scrapes and bruises remind me

That I am human

My head hits a root and reminds me

That the woods are real

And I am so glad to be wearing a helmet

But it’s all worth it, because

Sometimes,

I just need to flow

Get in that headspace where time

Melts away

And I become fluid and smooth

Even if the ground below me is anything but

Arms and legs extending as

I stand,

My bike far beneath me,

I am removed from the harrowing descent

So I can enjoy the wind in my face

And just pump it out

And it’s me

And the silence of the woods

And whatever fast-paced rock

Is playing tinnily through one earbud

My heartbeat falling into pace with the drums

And sometimes

I just need to push

Until my legs burn

And my body is on fire

And my head is spinning,

My breathing ragged,

And I am consumed with a good kind of pain

Because

Sometimes,

I just need to hit the trails