By Jen
The Rider
By Naomi Shihab Nye
A boy told me
if he roller-skated fast enough
his loneliness couldn’t catch up to him,
the best reason I ever heard
for trying to be a champion.
What I wonder tonight
pedaling hard down King William Street
is if it translates to bicycles.
A victory! To leave your loneliness
panting behind you on some street corner
while you float free into a cloud of sudden azaleas,
pink petals that have never felt loneliness,
no matter how slowly they fell.
From http://www.loc.gov/poetry/180/165.html
This poem makes me think about why I ride my bike. Running from loneliness, running from anger, chasing sunshine, chasing joy, reveling in the weather, exploring new places, celebrating my body. As a newcomer to the cities, I wasn’t sure how far into winter I was going to keep riding. First I said, “Until I think it gets too cold.” Then it was, “Well, maybe until it snows.” And then it snowed and Grease Rag had a winter riding skillshare, and I just couldn’t stop riding.
I know two groups of people in the cities right now: people from work and people who bike (not mutually exclusive). Grease Rag is the setting where I fix my bike, learn new riding skills, and meet WTF cyclists, who in turn introduce me to their other WTF and non-WTF cycling friends. Who comes to Grease Rag? More information about that coming up after our next wrenching session. So…is there anything about Grease Rag’ers that you want to know? I’ll add it to my Totally Scientific survey of GR participants. In the meantime, enjoy some more poetry.
The Rider, Remixed
By Jen
A WTF cyclist told me
if she rode to Grease Rag fast enough
her loneliness couldn’t catch up to her,
and she would learn new skills
and make new friends.
What I know tonight
pedaling hard down Lake Street
is that it gives me joy to bicycle.
A victory! To leave your loneliness
panting behind you on some street corner
while you float free into a flurry of snowflakes
winter riding confidence
with a little help from Grease Rag.