The Empty Tandem

He pedals through
The morning mist
A boy, too young
To grasp the twist
The chain of life
Now missing links
Each turn of wheels
His spirit sinks
The cousin who
Once rode beside
Now absent.
Lost to life's rough tide
Their tandem dreams
A fleeting race
Now shadows fill
That sacred space
The handlebars
Once shared with glee
Now grip the weight
Of memory.
The spokes hum
Songs of laughter past
A melody that couldn't last.
He rides through streets
Of whispered pain
Each corner turned
A tear-streaked lane
The wind,
A voice that softly pleads,
"Hold on,
Though sorrow intercedes."
The outsider sees
The boy's resolve
A puzzle grief
Cannot dissolve
The wheels still spin
Through hearts may stall
A fragile balance
After all
And as he coasts
Through hills of doubt
The sum breaks through
The clouds give out
A quiet prayer
A whispered plea
For healing found in eternity.