I saw you,
pull your child closer when we passed each other on the sidewalk.
But, you didn't see me,
playing Santa at the local mall.

I saw you,
change your mind about going into the restaurant.
But, you didn't see me,
attending a meeting to raise more money for the hurricane relief.

I saw you,
roll up your window and shake your head when I drove by.
But, you didn't see me,
driving behind you when you flicked your cigarette butt out the car window.

I saw you,
frown at me when I smiled at your children.
But, you didn't see me,
when I took time off from work to run toys to the homeless.

I saw you,
stare at my long hair.
But, you didn't see me,
and my friends cut ten inches off for Locks of Love.

I saw you,
roll your eyes at our leather coats and gloves.
But, you didn't see me,
and my brothers donate our old coats and gloves to those that had none.

I saw you,
look in fright at my tattoos.
But, you didn't see me,
cry as my children where born and have their name written over and in my heart.

I saw you,
change lanes while rushing off to go somewhere.
But, you didn't see me,
going home to be with my family.

I saw you,
complain about how loud and noisy our bikes can be.
But, you didn't see me,
when you were changing the CD and drifted into my lane.

I saw you,
yelling at your kids in the car.
But, you didn't see me,
pat my child's hands, knowing he was safe behind me.

I saw you,
reading the newspaper or map as you drove down the road.
But, you didn't see me,
squeeze my wife's leg when she told me to take the next turn.

I saw you,
race down the road in the rain.
But, you didn't see me,
get soaked to the skin so my son could have the car to go on his date.

I saw you,
run the yellow light just to save a few minutes of time.
But, you didn't see me,
trying to turn right.

I saw you,
cut me off because you needed to be in the lane I was in.
But, you didn't see me,
leave the road.

I saw you,
waiting impatiently for my friends to pass.
But, you didn't see me.
I wasn't there.

I saw you,
go home to your family.
But, you didn't see me.
Because, I died that day you cut me off.

I was just a biker,.....
A person with friends and a family.
But, you didn't see me.
~Anonymous

To all bikers out there: keep the rubber side down.

(1995 Road king, 50,000 miles and counting...)

Yes Luna, DH is a biker from way back. Currently he's riding a '02 Fat Boy ~ it's his baby!

Celticmoon, the Road King is an awesome bike! Do you have pictures, bac?

We all need a reminder to be careful.

DH's favorite part: lit turn signals in the side mirrors.

My favorite part: the hog on the nose and the skirt.

And I'll answer before anyone asks. No, I ride along on back, I don't drive it. We used to have two, but, well, I shouldn't drive a car most days. I just don't have the balance, coordination, focus, reaction time, etc. And I've learned over many years, riding along is the one place/time in my life when I do nothing. Nothing. Just go along. Takes hours, sometimes days for me to dial it down, but then, ahhhhh. Nothing.

And being physically that close with DH hour after hour, it's nice.

Here's a pic of his Fat Boy:

Our other bike was a red 1200 Sporty. Great city bike. Little tough on the kidneys long haul though, hey?

No bike in your life now?

(on the water, there's no speed limit!)

Your post made me smile. And unfortunately riding on the back just isn't the same once you've been riding your own (but I agree with you wholeheartedly on the doing nothing & being close to your better half part).

When I was pregnant my OB told me that I had to stop riding & I told her that I'd ride until my leathers didn't fit anymore. And that's exactly what I did. When the pants got to tight I switched to chaps but by the time I started my 6th month I was pressing too hard against the tank. I ride a Triumph Speed Triple & the sportbike riding position is definitely an issue. I know women that ride cruisers that kept on riding through their 8th month. I would always take mental inventory before I'd contemplate a ride & if I felt like I had the least bit of cotton headed pregnancy brain I'd skip it.

We went to the International Motorcycle Show about a week before the baby was due & my husband got some pictures of me sitting on the bikes. It was hysterical, trying to reach around the belly to get to the handlebars.

Since the baby was born (healthy, happy & none the worse for his prenatal bike rides) our riding has been curtailed drastically & I miss it so much. All of our vacations were motorcycle oriented, the majority of the time simply loading camping gear onto the back of the bikes & riding for a few hundred miles. The Speed Triple is a great bike but it's not a touring bike so I came up with numerous ways to stay comfortable (corrective underwear) for hours upon days in the saddle.

My husband and I are obsessed with vintage British motorcycles so ours is a whole different level of insanity :-).

Nina

The baby'd have every RIGHT to kick you!!

LOL! I was like a weeble. The baby didn't have to kick, he just squashed up against my bladder & I was off the bike like a shot :-).

I suspect that with gas prices the way that they are you'll be seeing more & more bikes on the road, making the call of the rumble even worse. My husband has been kind enough to ride my bike to work in the morning (since I drop the little guy off at daycare) so that I can ride it home in the afternoon and in spite of getting stuck in traffic on the bridge yesterday it has been bliss.

We have a few bikes to spare, maybe we can barter some tile work for a loaner bike? ;-).

Nina