Editor’s Note: Evel Knievel (1938-2007) was born on this day. To mark the occasion, we have a poem by Aaron Belz, who lives in Hillsborough, North Carolina. He is the editor of The Curator and author of two books of poetry, The Bird Hoverer (BlazeVOX) and Lovely, Raspberry (Persea). A third, Glitter Bomb, will be published by Persea in March 2014.
EVEL KNIEVEL
Robert Craig Knievel
Adopted the name Evel
When he became a daredevil.
His parents were like, “Robert!”
His friends were like, “Bob?”
But he thought it was great.
He’d gotten the idea
From a former cellmate
Nicknamed Awful Knofel.
When he became a Christian
At the Crystal Cathedral
In 2007, he dared real devils.
So, seven months later, when
His lungs finally failed him,
He found his first safe landing.
Copyright © 2013 Books & Culture. Click for reprint information.
