24. I'll Go Quietly
I'll go quietly into the night, ticking softly.
Planetary gears ticking softly into the night.
I'll proceed, softly illuminated, under my own power
Into the soft cool night.
I'll tick and whir like an old typewriter
That was well-maintained by your grandmother.
I'll go quietly. Uncomplainingly.
A fairly well-oiled machine into the night.
Into the night. Into the night. Into the night. Into the night.
Into the night.
Into the night.
The Univega referenced in the previous entry got obliterated by a man making a left turn into a bowling alley as I rode on the bike path's detour on sketchy 92nd, so I had to find a new bike. I found an old Sears 3-speed that ticked like an old clock, roughly the same age as me, whose manufacturer now apparently only makes rifles. It was and is a great bike. "Planetary gears" is one of those delightful bike terms that's basically a giant gift to poets and lyricists.
This one came off the Spirit Duplicator album Cedes, which was [SPOILER ALERT] basically one long expression of pre-grief after learning that my dad had terminal cancer. This was the last song, following two howling epics.
