today I believe
is the best
day of my life,
built of hills
man-made
like a dream
my new bicycle
flies down over
the bumps of greens,
of front yards,
flattening
the flowers,
with crystals
in my eyes,
And for lunch
is a party
with all the kids,
at Hungry Jacks,
with ice-cream cake
and make-a-wish candles,
yummy junk food burgers
and salty as pretzel chips.
A memory forever engrained
until the day that I die...
We're as happy a family as can be.
Look out your window and you can see
us riding the New York City blocks
in our knickerbockers and striped socks
on a bicycle built for three.
bicycle Bert was a fixture in this small Iowa town
We waved to him and yelled happy thoughts, all around.
Bert rode his bike in parades, all decorated and such.
The town truly loved this unique individual, very very much.
I woke from a dream feeling bereft,
but there hadn't been a bicycle theft.
My bike was there, so I went outside
and found I don't know how to ride.
My Bicycle of Imagination
The day and I are hand in hand,
brimming with a zippety-whippity-do.
I sit atop my saddle, my bicycle, my hill;
the morning mist is ragged like candy floss
on barbed wire, waggled fences.
Below a liquorice-tarmacked road
elbows through a mosaicked landscape;
churned fields sitting either side,
serrated into channels of earth;
suited and rooted in browned corduroy.
Then further on and along,
the sky sits sedately on the sea,
resting on a blue, rippled settee,
just out of close reach
of a mustard scarf of a beach.
Clouds rear - wild, white stallions;
they settle, then away at a gallop,
racing, chasing the prize in
the finishing line, the horizon.
Watch out, speedy swallow,
now, it’s my time to follow!!
I sense my bicycle’s stalled frustration,
so my body engine sets it free;
muscles tighten, pedals spin,
it’s time to fly, time to check in.
Off we go…wind pushing at my heels,
sunlight splashing off the wheels
down I swoop, a dance of balance;
the bike glides, the road slides.
Watch me come, watch me go
connecting, perfecting with nature’s flow;
sky, land and sea…………WEEEEEEEEEEE!
A fish without a bicycle,
a squirrel without a tree -
these are the things
that trouble me.
They make me chew my fingers
and give me such a fright.
These are the very things
that keep me up at night.
A fish without a bicycle,
a squirrel without a tree -
These are the things
I hope I never see.
something cheery and light...
JUST ME AND YOU
two wheels spinning, hearts beating as one,
a bicycle built for two*, just me and you.
our laughter echoing, the world a blur
the wind in our hair, the sun on our face
through winding roads and sun-kissed skies
together we pedaled forward, side by side.
we chased the wind, with adventurous hearts
sharing love, laughter, and tears as the miles grew.
we rode through rain and shine, through night and day,
through heartache and pain, through every up and down, we rode as one.
with every turn, memories were made
of trials we faced, of triumphs we won.
the memories we made are like a treasure chest
of moments lived, of lessons learned, of wisdom begun.
the world has slowed as we ride side by side
yet we pedal forward with the wind at our backs.
hand in hand, a sense of peace abides
the rhythm of the pedals and our hearts still beat as one.
* Bicycle Built for Two is a popular song, written in 1892 by British songwriter Harry Dacre
©2025 Sara Etgen-Baker
Youth, I think it's time,
on your bike to climb
to rapture sublime.
Feel wind on your face,
freedom to embrace,
so that you may fly.
Watch the world go by -
on your two-wheeled high!
Turn left or turn right
to a newfound site.
The sun's a delight,
a shining jewel.
A beach trip is cool.
Take the day off school
and your pleasure, chase.
Youth, you must embrace.
Life is like bicycle riding
To keep you from balance
You must keep moving
You should pedal in advance
So you will not fall in rough
In life always be on guard
Even when things get tough
Keep moving forward
Keep pushing
Keep striving
Don’t let anything hold you back.
Tomorrow, l'Il try my exercise bike.
No, not that expensive, complee doozy!
I'd fall down and be a fallen, poetic lollapaloozy!
My glory days of riding a real bicycle have long past.
But all our bodies need exercise, as do our minds.
Not too slow, nor too fast, respect your body, it’s one of a kind!
12/1/2024
~ Poem 1~
'Twas once the bicycle of life,
started down a cheerful lane,
past daisies beneath the sun,
when Mary waved at me again,
just as my bike hit a bump,
And I flew end-over-end,
landing hard upon my head - thump!
Oh bicycle of life, my friend,
why me - to the afterlife you send?
I said I ain't been on no bike
He said, 'Well, there it is.'
Premature baldness and popcorn muscles
I told him I got a B in History
He said, 'What a life you're gonna have.'
This is what I'm paying for
Man hugs and comic sans garage dweller
As I lay in bed on my side
With the book open next to my eyeball
Country music in one ear
Chewing three pieces of gum simultaneously
Offering extra strong mints to friends
I am inside a wooden nesting doll
The windscreen is frozen over
I am a dog looking out the driver's window
A constant expression of weariness
He wants to see me again in a month
He asks for a mint as I leave
I ask reception for a shovel to dig to
Disappointment Island
How far did you ride your bike
In the summertime before they turned out the streetlights
With mates no matter the weather
To each one that you were tethered
Around to the local oval ground
Where you kicked the football around
Or to the beach on a summers day
Drinking from tap water along the way
There were adventures you never told
When your bravery was so bold
And your mother would have a fit
If she knew the facts of it
There was never enough time
But we used to fit it in just fine
And any case there was always the next day
When bikes were ready to go straight away.
© Paul Warren Poetry
I ride a bicycle
just retired my tricycle
No stove, no oven, no range
Some folks think me strange
'cos I use the sun for cooking
and I catch folks curious, looking
Sleep on the ground
all night, and sound
up at the crack of dawn...
My carbon footprint is zero
I'm a back-to-nature hero
I was listening to some songs of love
On my way home from work
It was dark
And cold
I just had my little phone flashlight
No coat
And about two miles of hills ahead of me
And it turns out
When you ride your bike
In the cold
With songs of love
And at night
They turn into songs of tragedy
With about two miles ahead of you
But then I looked up at the sky
And I saw the stars
And I remembered
That it was okay, actually
And that I had chosen this
So unless you can look up and see the stars
Don't go riding at night
In the cold
Listening to songs of love
With about two miles ahead of you
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