Up on a hill on Wailuku Drive

Two boys on a bicycle fly by

Cousin on the handle bars

Me on the seat

Both boys cursing each other through their teeth

Ninety degree turn up head

Take it back, cousin I said

You take it back you freak

Both of us screaming ‘take it back’

While flying down the street

I’m not slowing down this bike

Until you apologize to me

You started it by popping a wheely

Too late now

Controlled crash it has to be

Sliding off the road into banana trees

All bloodied up with torn clothes

We left the broken bike in the groves

But off to work we still go

Both of us limping on opposite sides of the road

Flipping each other off as we moan and groan

I take it back cousin

There, I said it

It wasn’t right

Me popping the wheely

While you weren’t holding on tight

I know we laughed about it that night

But twenty years later

Ha, I beat you again

I said “I take it back” first

Got you again

Thank you cousin

You’ve been a great friend