Stabiliser

I steady your first ride.
Fine-tuned to you from birth
the clearest station on the dial.
I wobble when you wobble.

Sometimes I spin in air
as you list left, lurch back
to crash land on my chest,
perpetual safety net.

Your confidence swells like a melon
watered by moonlight,
and on the curious machine of balance
hands click into alignment.

You soar, you glide, you race
free-fall parachutist, rushing wind
I barely tip the ground
a carried side-car passenger.

Now unscrewed, disengaged, I wait,
trying not to rust upon the garage shelf
in case your children need me.
But I still wobble when you wobble.