by Margaret Pearce

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He was a macho man
With speed man dreams.
He darned his leathers
With barbed wire seams.

He parted his beard
On the outside lane
And cleaned his teeth
With the sprocket chain

He lusted for the bike
Of his speed man dreams.
Double carburettors
And twelve thousand c.c.’s

He needed his butt
On a bike with go
For an engine with gut.
He’d pay without woe

For that ultimate thrill
With death defying skill
Double carburettors
And twelve thousand c.c.’s

A man’s only need
is a bike with go
away from the shit
that’s slow – man – slow.

For twelve thousand c.c.’s
he’d roll the dice
he’d trade with the devil
whatever the price.

Somewhere in hell
his words were heeded
and he sold his soul
for the speed he needed.

He traded with the devil
a contract of free will.
riding hell’s power
unharmed by any spill.

Now he had the bike
that would go – man – go.
and leave behind the shit
that was slow – man – slow.

He rode that bike
with death defying skill
speeding the highways
for that ultimate thrill.

Twelve thousand c.c.’s
roaring through the years.
At last came the devil
To collect his fees.

And the devil chuckled
as his darling faltered
rust streaked and buckled
bleeding oil as she altered.

Wounded and ageing
his life blood leaking
the biker kept raging
as the oil kept seeping.

He no longer had a bike
that would go – man – go
passed by the shit
that was slow – man – slow.

‘I traded with the devil’
gasped the macho man
‘I willingly paid the price
and don’t give a damn.

Bury me with my bike
And with death defying skill
I’ll ride hell’s highways
For that ultimate thrill.’

With double carburettors
thundering in his ears.
He’d traded with the devil
for twelve thousand c.c’s.

oooOooo

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Launched on an unsuspecting commercial world, Margaret Pearce ended up copywriting in an advertising department and took to writing instead of drink when raising children. She has had articles, short stories and poetry published and mostly primary and teenage novels published as listed on Amazon, Book Depository, Kindle and writers-exchange.com. She completed an Arts Degree at Monash University as a mature age student, and it was her children and boyfriends, not her, who were interested in bikes.