Evel Knievel changed his first name
but didn’t want it to be spelled
like evil
even though that was why he took the nickname
in the first place.

He cheated his partners
lied to his friends
and sexed around
in ways his wife was forced
to know about.
He stole from communists
but it was the sixties
so maybe that was legal.

The man crashed
as often as he landed
defying physics while breaking bones
– both his and others’.
Evel got around
as is evil’s wont
but he wore white
so kids would see him as a good guy
and we did.
I did.

He’s probably jumping something
somewhere
and he probably spends as little time
in the ground
as he can.
Whether he’s flying above it
or racing below?
To that,
I have no answer.