He grabbed his e-bike from the wall

Told the secretary, “Block my schedule until the fall”

He possessed a slight chuckle, little eye contact

Kind but reserved

Stoic, knowledgeable, full of tact

I mustered up my nerve

Told him as he went to leave, “When I grow up, I want to be like you”

He paused, held his bike up in one hand, and said to me,
“You’re on the right course, till the land, focus on follow through”

A minute later I saw him out the window riding away

In the blazing sun, no helmet

I thought about what he said

Envisioned in my head my old basketball jump shot

My senior year it was effortless – up and shoot, extend the arm, flex the wrist

And then let go of it

Then come back down

A million reps is how I got there – state champion

Maybe it’s the same in this arena to be the one who wins

Follow through, he told me

So I showed up the next day

I read some articles, studied a bit

Multiplied by 30

And here I sit

The gremlins heard me

“Focus on follow through,” I told the student

When she asked how to get there

“One step at a time, do the best you can do

We made it because we tried

Come to work every day, and follow through”

Then I took off in my electric ride