I don’t know if I was cut out to be a mother

When my son was little

I had a blue schwinn bicycle

with a basket on the front

and a baby seat on the back

It had been a birthday gift

from a person

that I used to know.

On days off from work

I would strap him into his seat

And I would take him for a ride

to the library

or to Roy Rogers

Sometimes we'd go to a nearby airport

and sit at the end of the runway

eating French fries,

watching the planes

take off and land.

I didn’t have much money

and was probably

too young and irresponsible

to be in charge of another person

But here we were

connected forever.

I don’t know if I was cut out to be a mother.

But I really did try.