Clean Bearings (edited)

[FractalPacifist]

Edit One

Thick grease smears across your fingertips,
sticking to the surface and filling up the ridges;
wad a paper towel, clean away what you can,
the rest'll smear across your forehead when you
wipe your face yet again.

Before, as you stuttered over sidewalk cracks,
the pavement revealed through the chips in your deck,
each passing pebble seemed a layer of gravel, each turn
a rusty centrifuge yanking you further
away from your teetering grip on control.

The edge of a razor blade lifts the little cap
red plastic revealing a chain of rolling orbs beneath
squeeze out a drop or two, let it drip down and oil
the spinning circles; add the cover, grab another,
pry it open and repeat.

It's a temporary freedom, slowly drying
as each hurdle and bump causes metal to grind
in a ticking decay, wearing down the smoothness of spiral
rails that guided you, suspended,
through the eerie tune of a concrete-bound bird.

Line up the spacers and press down on the wheel
little silver circles sliding back into their places
spin it down the axel and tighten til it catches
on your wrench, adjusting for speed and checking
that each one rotates in time.

Original

Black grease smears across your fingertips,
sticking to the surface and filling up the ridges;
wad a paper towel, clean away what you can,
the rest'll smear across your forehead when you
wipe your face with your hands.

Before, as you stuttered over sidewalk cracks
wheels grinding on axels like forgotten gears
in a rusty clock ticking another five minutes behind,
you thought you might get new wheels, justification
to scrap your old ones and toss them aside.

The edge of a razor blade lifts the little cap
red plastic revealing a chain of rolling orbs beneath.
Squeeze a drop or two of oil, let it drip down between
the spinning circles; add the cover, grab another,
pry it open and repeat.

It's just a repair, only lasting until that sudden
hurdle, a landing that damages the delicate balance
of suspended spheres and prevents the smooth turns
that let you glide through silent city streets
like a concrete-bound bird.

Line up the spacers and press down on the wheel
little silver circles sliding back into their places
spin it down the axel and tighten til it catches
on your wrench, adjusting for speed and checking
that each rotation matches.