I remember when
I was growing up
My friend Tic’s father
Was a member of the Pagans.
An outlaw biker gang.
The One-Percenters
Meant a totally
Different thing
Back then.
He was heavily tattooed
Which
At the time
Was uncommon
Except for the military
Bikers
And ex-cons.
He used to wear
“I Love Jesus”
T-shirts
With the sleeves cut off
As a big middle finger
To surrounding society
And to raise eyebrows.
He had a dark sense of humor.
One particular
Early winter
His bike broke down.
They had no garage.
So he moved out
The kitchen table
As a solution
And pushed in his
Beast of a bike
So that he could work on it
In the comfort
Of their heated home.
The kitchen became
His garage.
Tools and parts
Were quickly
Strewn everywhere.
The family forced
To eat their meals
In the living room
Over a knotted pine
Coffee table
Purchased with
H&H Green Stamps.
A week of
Sweat and cursing
Tic’s dad got
The bike put back together
And fixed.
I was there the day
He got it started.
He was damp and high
From a several day
Pagan manufactured
Meth bender.
The veins in his neck
And on his forehead
Were bulging.
His eyes were wide open
And wouldn’t shut.
He fired
The machine up
Right there in the kitchen.
Oil and exhaust
Filled the small home.
He cursed triumphantly.
As he released the throttle
He held onto the brake
Doing a terrific burnout
Right there on the kitchen floor.
There was murderous noise
And choking smoke
Everywhere.
The floor was black
From rubber
And burn.
Tic’s mom started
Screaming at him
At the top of her lungs
As he pushed the heaving beast
Back outside
Navigating
The narrow frame of the doorway
And covering the bike up
With a dropcloth.
He came back in
To the hysterical woman.
He looked her square in the eyes
And told her to calm down.
He stepped back outside
And brought the kitchen table
Back in
Pushing it
Directly over the burnout
Followed by the chairs
And told her that it was fixed.
He then
Went to the fridge
Stuck his hand in
And sat down on the sofa
To watch tv
With the rest of the family
Popping a beer
As if everything was normal.
And his family
Stared at the television
As if
Nothing had happened
While Tic’s mom
Sobbed in the kitchen.
