Roller Blades by Lolly Vieira

My dad's fixing up his roller blades.

Who knows how long they've been in the garage?

And his parents' garage before that.

They're missing a brake,

but he doesn't care.

The excitement he feels is palpable

as he prepares to skate down the street.

He puts them on and notices

that somewhere along the way, he lost a strap.

But even this won't deter him.

I worryingly tell him that I don't think it's safe,

but my dad doesn't care.

He takes a single stride

and the wheels crumble.

He stumbles for a second

while trying to glide forward.

Eventually he notices the disintegration

happening right beneath his feet.

But it doesn't make his expression sour,

nor his mood turn poor.

He instead declares

that he'll be buying a new set of wheels

online.

And next weekend he puts them on

with a new set of wheels and a new strap.

Bought new off eBay for only $15.99!

He soars down the road

while a broad smile etches itself across his face

and his crows feet deepen

as he lets out a, "Whoooooo!"