OH GEE!

by Amy Ballard Rich


In my 20's,
me and other cyclists
relied on bungee cords
to tie up groceries, firewood,
university textbooks,
and whatever else
to our bikes,
as we headed out
into the cold Oregon rain.

Decades later in a big California city,
with new types of gadgets
to carry loads on bicycles,
I had a boyfriend
who asked me to get 5-6 bungee cords,
because he had exciting sex games
that needed them.
(The games were boring; he seemed to
be overcompensating for something.)

After that relationship ended,
I got rid of all the bungee cords but two,
and more decades passed.

Tonight I took out my trash to the curb,
in a windy Oregon coastal town surrounded by wild spaces.
I affixed a bungee cord
on my trash can to keep it shut tight from bears,
since my illness keeps me up for hours at night,
so I am not waking at 6 am to deal with trash.

Looking at how the bungee cord just barely fit over the trash can lid,
and hoping the trash collectors won't mind,
I smiled.

I wonder what happened to that bungee cord guy, anyway.


* * * * *

Amy Ballard Rich is a retired Montessori preschool teacher, currently living on the scenic Oregon coast. She has been published in numerous online and print publications, including everydayfeminism.com, Milvia Street Art and Literary Journal, and Penumbra Literary Journal. She has written two chapbooks and is contemplating a third. When not writing or editing, she can be found cheering on other poets, hugging trees, and trying to fight racism and bigotry.