. . . put on roller skates and
careen down the esplanade
along the Charles River.
Grinning, looking straight ahead.
Faster, faster, and faster still.
Wind blowing back my hair,
tearing my eyes
until the real world blurs
and I am flying
with wheels as my wings.
Written for Quadrille Monday at dVerse, the vitual pub for poets around the globe. I’m hosting today, asking folks to use the word “careen” within their poem of exactly 44 words, sans title.
The esplanade is a wonderful green space in Boston that in part, runs along the Charles River. It has a very long walking/bicycling/rollerskating path along the river itself and is only about 2 city blocks from where we live. It goes for miles and we often take walks there. For those of you who watch the Boston Pops 4th of July concert on television, the hatch where they perform is on the esplanade itself, just off the river. Photo from Pixabay.com
lillian the home poet 
Sounds good to me!
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Me too! Ah when we were young and just ran with the wind, so free! 🙂 Little did we know about much of anything. And that blessed ignorance lasted quite a bit longer than it does for today’s children.
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Love the fast energy until the real world blurs! Have a fun time and have a go at it.
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Oh how I would love to. I still remember my clamp on skates with the key to tighten them! 🙂 I used to love to roller skate!
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The way skateboarders work with gravity is astounding! One wants to join for sure.
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Don’t think I’d ever try a skate board….but if we’d had them when I was young, I’m sure I would have much to my mother’s chagrin. She had a fit when my father bought me a pogo stick! 🙂
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This sounds like so much fun… I still hope for good ice this winter so we may skate like that on ice… my flying all the way to down-town Stockhoim
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Bjorn…..you must send me a video of you ice skating some day! Are you familiar with the Flicka Ricka and Dicka childrens’ books? I loved them when I was young and I distinctly recall an illustration of them ice skating on a pond with their neck scarves flying out behind them showing how fast they were going! 🙂
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I have this video… it’s not me, but my wife
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I had weak ankles, so skates were not for me. My first bicycle at nine years old made me feel that way, careening down hills, flying on wheels.
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Hah….my first bike was my only bike as my folks had very little money. So in first grade, I had a 26″ bicycle that I had to learn standing up, pumping because there was not way I could reach the pedals if I was sitting. I did it though. Perhaps that’s why I preferred my clamp on roller skates and my pogo stick!
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yeah – I’m with Glenn on bikes over skates!
but I love the poem (and can imagine it with me on a bike!)
❤
David
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Nice imagery for the speed. Luv it.
Thanks for droppibg by to read mine
Much💛love
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Always happy to drop by to read your posts, Gillena. Warning though…we leave on Wednesday for about 20 days on board a Celebrity cruise ship through the Caribbean. We don’t plan to get off the ship at all for any excursions….just looking forward to being at sea, eating in the dining rooms, enjoying some of their entertainment and sitting on the decks in 80 degree weather….but it does mean I will be unable to read and comment on folks’ posts. I may post a poem once or twice….but very poor internet on the ship. So I shall miss you for a bit….but I’ll be back!
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Love the energy in your words Lillian! I remember roller skating as a child and how free it felt.
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I loved roller skating as a child. One of my favorite things to do. And in my day (gosh those sound like the words of an old fuddy duddy!), I strapped on clamp-ons, tightened them with my oh so valuable skate key, and then skated round the neighborhood on the sidewalks….bumpy sometimes….going as fast as I could…blocks and blocks. So different from skating in a rink or having shoe skates! 🙂
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Yes, that’s true!
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The image aligns perfectly with your words.
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Hah! Thank you Ron. It took quite a while to find an image….and then I had to crop it. So I’m very glad you noticed 🙂
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I love the esplanade, I worked in Boston for many years. Great quadrille!
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It truly is a beautiful place to walk in all seasons 🙂
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I absolutely love, love this, Lillian 😀 Yes, let us “careen down the esplanade,” together! You create such a wonderfully vivid scene here. 💝💝
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So glad you enjoyed it, Sanaa! I shall miss you while we’re gone…and so sad I can not be at the LIVE event when you host. I shall try and text you a few photos of us on the ship 🙂
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Such movement and freedom in your words, Lillian.
There are people who skate along the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia, and more who bike, but I’ll stick to walking.
I only roller skated (not well) in a rink. 😀
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We just enjoy walking now too. Have to know when to give up some things and just enjoy their memories. Walking allows us to “see” more than being on a bicycle. My rollerskating days were in my youth with clamp-on skates, tightening them with a rollerskate key 🙂
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great quadrille. thats another place added to my must visit list
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Glad you enjoyed.
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lol it’s a great thrill Lillian you really should try it! I used to careen down a super steep hill when I lived up north on my bicycle. I’d have to wait for a traffic break as no breaks could have stopped me … the locals used to become my cheer squad watching the joy on my face at the out of control speed 🙂
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Up until about four years ago we always rented bicycles for our annual two weeks in our beloved Provincetown. How I LOVED to just sail on the downhills. Sadly, our balance is a bit precarious now and we wisely gave it up….it was the riding in the traffic and swerving in and out that you had to do that was starting to get to us. Guess you have to know when there’s an accident “waiting to happen” and call it quits and just enjoy the memories. 🙂
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wise choice, I pray I never lose my balance as my cycle is a passion 🙂
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I used to be a figure skater, and oh yes, I remember that feeling. There’s nothing in the world like it.
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Oooooh….sometime you should write a poem for a prompt about your ice skating and add a photo of you in the post. Would LOVE to see that!
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My dad you just turned 70 took up roller skating after my niece got involved in skating tournaments. Now, she’s grown tired of it but he still keeps going to tournaments to compete with his age group! I love the energy in your verses and how it brings that blur of scenery to mind!
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So glad you enjoyed my post! I didn’t even know there were roller skating tournaments with age groupings! Good for your dad!!
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Couldn’t recll my skater days until I read this. Ahhhh..those were the days. Thanks!
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I so enjoyed skating all over our neighborhood on the sidewalks….and when it was a bit downhill…oh, heaven!
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A blurring image gives the right impression of the longings to fly fast down the lane. A wonderful poem. Thanks for hosting Lillian!
Hank
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Glad you enjoyed the post and the prompt! Fly fast and free —- well, I’m not sure how fast my clamp on skates really went when I was a young kid….but it sure did feel like I was flying!
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Lillian,
Can I join you? But on the other hand, it can’t feel half as good as what you’re imagining here! Woohooooo!
pax,
dora
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It really does sound like fun, right?
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Some days I just want to do that too!
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If I were twenty years younger, I’d do just that! 🙂
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Nice work poet! Please come and visit me, share your likes and your truth! Would love to have you!
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Nice to see you here, Rob!
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Something I never want to do, ever, but I like the idea of just doing something aimless.
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Oh yes….doing something aimless can be freeing indeed! 🙂
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I could never rollerskate but this sounds like a fun adventure.
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In my seventh decade, I can not longer rollerskate either….but I sure did enjoy this feeling of freedom when I did it when I was young! 🙂
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You have captured the feeling of being young and carefree. Those were the days when we had nothing to do but live life to the fullest. If we tried that today we’d probably break a hip! I loved your beautiful quadrille Lillian ☺️💕
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Hah! You brought me a chuckle when I read “If we tried that today we’d probably break a hip!” SO TRUE! But oh how I loved to write the words and imagine it so. 🙂
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Yes! I was skating with you Lillian ☺️💕
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My flying wheels were on my bicycle, and I loved every careening minute of it!
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Your response made me smile! 🙂
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Somedays … somedays … I want more than I need. What you need goes way beyond precious and quite perfect. Thank you for a great challenge.
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Glad you enjoyed the prompt, Helen!
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Wheels as wings! YES! Love this, Lillian! Thanks for the fun prompt word!
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There is a hill in my neighborhood (keep in mind I live 100 miles inland from the coastal plain, so hill is relative) that brings that sense of energy as I careen down the hill on my bike. I hung up my rollerskates since the asphalt was too rough. I could feel the wind in your words.
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Wonderful feeling of release with all that movement – it sounds like a great space.
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I love this! Your words make it possible to experience this fun adventure in my mind! I enjoy getting that same feeling when I ride my bike.
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this brings the feeling of freedom. love it, Lillian!
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