Last time I skated
I wore tiny shoes that could only fit me
And the floor was covered in carpet
With a 1980's pattern that was geometrically square
Farther away lay the rink which was oval with lights aglow
Thousands of light above
a solid oak floor below
The beginners were on the outside track
Hugging the wide edge, encouraged by parents
Becoming frightened when there was nothing more
Than a thin edge near the DJ
The more experienced ruled the inside track
With their tricks and twirls
Cheers and dances
In a glassed window box with the lights down low
Hid the DJ with his many games and music
He held the skaters at his mercy
As he played all the best themed songs
When we were tired, bruised, or thirst
Off the rink we would crawl
To play the games, win the prizes, have a soothing drink
We could skate for minutes, hours, days
Never having to breathe, only to laugh, to have fun
To skate the world and its cares away
Life lessons were learned on the roller rink
You can start off scared
Holding the wall, hugging onto its comfort
But at some point the wall will run out
Skate further on and the wall and its support will again be there
With the loss of the wall, its support soon loses its value
And the once needed support becomes obsolete
The wall is replaced by helping hands
That pushed you with the crowd
Guided your unsure steps around the rink
But once in a while the hands left
Leaving you small and vulnerable
When an obstacle made it impossible to hold on any longer
Little by little the hands were needed no more
They did not disappear forever, only hovered
Waiting for a time they may be needed again
Skating made you a free person
Let you fly across endless time
Like an independent soul
In life we all have humble beginnings
Where we grip the wall in fear
Hold the hand, afraid of letting go
Afraid of falling
The rink was not only a place of laughter and good times
Here we learned life lessons
And here I learned to not be afraid of falling
