The Bicycle Thief

I was distracted by life
Catching threads of light
With the wings in my hair.
Following clouds above in the open skylight.

It was a cold day,
Like any other cold day in the English spring,
Filled with light and shade.
It could also have been winter.

The sky was suddenly covered with a monochromatic pale grey wash.
All the houses looked the same, in this suburban landscape.
Monotonous, like soldiers in line ready for inspection.

He came out of nowhere
He was in his twenties, tall and handsome.
I noticed he had a sinuous snake,
Tattooed on the right side of his neck.
His hair was shoulders-length’
Combed back with some form of gel.

He stopped in front of me, and looked into my eyes.
He asked, ‘Is this life yours?’
His voice was sharp and cold like a blade.
His black eyes wore no fear.
I said, ‘Yes, why?'
‘Because I am a thief’, he replied. ‘And I want steal it.’ He continued defiantly.
I laughed nervously. ‘My life would be no good to you’, I quickly replied.

The Bicycle Thief

‘Why is that?’ he asked annoyed.
‘Because it is the life of a lost child. It would be wasted on you’, I concluded.
Ah! He sighed confused.
Then he walked away back into the darkness, behind the tinted glass of his waiting car.
Leaving me
And my wasted life behind,
Alone.

Still feeling numbed, by the whole experience, I jumped in the ‘horse back’ of my bicycle,
And galloped towards the night
My hands shaking and my breathing out of control,
Heart beating strong inside my chest.
I was half satisfied and slightly high,
After surviving this invasive confrontation of this brief encounter.

I never looked back
But, I could still feel his presence, even long after he was gone.
Like if he was watching me from behind the shadows.
I knew he could find me if he wanted to, and from now on I would have to live with this fear,
Not knowing if he would return to carry out his threat.
Or if he would ever visit me in my nightmares.

Based on a true story.