Bryce and the Bicycle

Bryce had a Big Wheel of red, black, and blue
And a wagon, a scooter, and roller skates too!
But at five years of age, he was little no more,
And one day he saw, at the sporting-goods store,
His heart's greatest desire, a bike with two wheels!
Which, because it was grown-up, held massive appeal.

So he ran to his parents, and asked, begged, and pleaded
And despite their misgivings, they caved and conceded.
They walked right on up to the bicycle dealer,
And asked him "How much for this lovely two-wheeler?
For our little son Brycie's a baby no more,
And we know that this bicycle, he will adore.
We'll teach him the safety rules, make sure he learns
To put on his helmet, and signal his turns.
For we can't keep him little, we must let him grow,
Because every good parent must learn to let go."

So the bicycle dealer tuned up the new bike,
And let young Bryce pick out a helmet he liked.
He offered to throw in some free training wheels,
But at that, Bryce indignantly, angrily squealed,
"Those things are for babies, and I'm five years old!
I'm brave, and intrepid, and daring, and bold!
I can ride on two wheels, I'm all grown up, you'll see!
On a bike with FOUR wheels, you'll never catch me!"

So they packed up the bike, and departed for home,
And Bryce got excited, and yearned to go roam
On his bike, and go rip-roaring all over town,
Pedal hard up steep hills, and go zooming back down,
Feel the wind on his face, feel it ruffling his hair,
But when they got home, little Brycie got scared.

For the bike was unstable, and high off the ground,
Riding wasn't so easy, as Bryce quickly found.
When he swung his leg over, the bicycle growled,
And Bryce was so mad that he angrily howled,
"I'm a big, grown-up boy, at the ripe age of five,
And I know very well that bikes CAN'T come alive!
You've got two rubber tires, and a frame made of metal,
And a seat, and a basket, and spokes, grips, and pedals!
You can never scare me, I don't know why you tried,
Now cut out that nonsense, and just let me ride!"

At Bryce's bravado, the bike felt quite slighted,
But to try to prevent Bryce from getting excited
And thinking that he was the bicycle's master,
When Bryce tried to stop, the bike just went faster!
It wiggled, and wobbled, and jiggled, and swayed,
And made Bryce, a first-timer, so very afraid.
For the bike to slow down, he pleaded and screamed,
For such a bizarre thing, he could never have dreamed
Would be brought on him, by complacence and pride,
For bicycles looked very simple to ride
When in the command of kids who were bigger!
He thought it was easy, and naturally figured
That magic, not practice, kept them balancing steady,
But the bike yearned to show him that he wasn't ready!

It sneered and it snickered, it glowered and cackled
At Bryce, "Do you think that you're ready to tackle
This momentous milestone of your young childhood?
Do you still think it's easy? You don't? Well then, good!"
Said Bryce to his bike, "I admit it, you're right.
I thought it was effortless, but in hindsight,
I know it takes practice, and effort, and work,
I'm sorry for being such an impudent jerk!"

So the bike forgave Bryce, and allowed him to mount,
And although Bryce fell off more times than he could count,
By the end of the day, he was balancing straight,
And despite all his bruises and scrapes, he felt great!
For he'd mastered the art of his bike with two wheels,
And the glow of accomplishment made Brycie feel
That he was a big kid, so he swelled up with pride,
As he got on his bike, for his first solo ride.

His parents looked back, from their chairs in the shade,
And Dad said, "We could purchase a stock in Band-Aids,
And become millionaires, for Bryce took quite a fall,
But because he persisted, he's having a ball!
I'm glad that we raised such a confident boy,
Seeing Bryce keep on trying makes my heart fill with joy."
Said Mom, "I agree, for I too was afraid,
That Bryce would give up, but the effort, he made
To get back on the bike after each time he fell,
I think that we taught him our values quite well."

When Bryce pedaled back 'round the corner, he smiled
'Cause the bike was his friend now, they'd both reconciled
Their earlier conflict, when Bryce was too cocky.
So Bryce asked his parents, "Can I sign up for hockey?
The guys on TV make it look like a breeze,
They skate, pass, and shoot with incredible ease!
They can't be that old, they're all gap-toothed like me!"
So his folks simply sighed, and responded "We'll see."