Handicap - edit

[Valerie Please]

Politic metaphor or not a political metaphor, it works as a small moment poem, with just enough detail (gusty-tumbled sky - great line! . . . roughly shaven . . . shorts, mini-microphone with earbuds) leading in to the offending windbreaker.  Of course purple is a nice choice for avoiding red or blue while combining them (so maybe we could even read it as a larger indictment of political gridlock if we went there). I'd even go so far as to say that I like it as a contrast between masculine and feminine.

Ha, we could even go THERE, into a metaphor about feminism, which I will not. 

Mostly though I just find it personally appealing as a runner because I have seen video of myself running with a big stupid sweater tied to my waist and it's awful, so I personally feel for this guy. 

Oh, one last thing . . . I like the use of "Handicap" as a title, since I was expecting "Handicapped." It keeps the focus on the object not the person, setting up another contrast. As it should be.

Handicap


Beneath a gusty tumbled sky
that seemed about to fall that day
I passed a black man bicycling.
Strong, tough and roughly shaved
he pedaled wearing shorts
a mini-microphone with earbuds
and a purple windbreaker
that spinnaker-ballooned out monstrously
all around him.
Drag-chuted that way
struggle though he might
he never caught up–
great strength self-impeded
by a jacket he had donned
in fear of rain that wasn’t happening
and never did.

The gentleman's jacket was actually blue rather than purple, but I changed it to avoid having the colour interpreted politically.  I plead Poetic Licence. (Which, oddly enough, is not flagged for spelling as "colour" is.)