A Yelp review for three New Orleans bike shops by Makenna Dykstra

There was one August during which

my bike’s tires refused to hold air.

Like lungs exhausted from seeing red

at the ocean’s floor, the rubber wheezed away

the streets of New Orleans. Potholes offered

only magnolias as thanks for the selfish

sacrifice and by now my windowsills

are covered in them. Once, the bicycle

mechanic handed me a snake tooth

he found in the inner tube among a half dozen

pennies and a bouquet of dried roses.

I must’ve forgotten to replace the pieces

of my soul when I unpacked them

that one sweltering afternoon. It was 7pm

and the clouds were hazy with that summer

sort of pink: the type that convinces you,

if for a moment, that there’s something redeemable

about the way the world holds nothing

back from hurting each other.

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Makenna Dykstra (she/her) is an M.A. student of English literature at Tulane University where she calls New Orleans, LA home. She is an avid lover of anything peanut butter chocolate and jellyfish, though enjoys them best in separate contexts. She can often be found on Twitter @makdykstra or in the local parks, writing, reading, or admiring the oak trees.