At the playground,
I saw my friend walk off with their parents.
I have one of those!
But they had two...
I felt a fuzzy spot in my heart, but not in a good way.
My parent says every family is different... And that each one is enough.
I get it, I think.
I felt low for a moment.
Suddenly there was a hand on my shoulder.
They were big and strong and warm like a summer day.
It was MY superhero,
My parent!
My hero can carry the bags, snacks, scooters, clothes and toys of 3 people, not two!
Sometimes, they even get sweaty doing that.
I'd laugh at them as they walk to the car.
To other people, it looks funny...
But to me they are a super star.
My parent is a " single" person.
What even does that mean?
It doesn't even matter right now.
They're more than enough for me.
They bravest hero I ever did meet.
How could I have planned to use it again when I remember finding it purely terrifying?
No practice on the pavement, immediate terror on the road.
How did I think I was going to get to my hospital placement on one of those scooters without needing the hospital myself?
It felt like I couldn’t stop if I needed to,
But I somehow got home after the simulation speech assessment
Where I was told I spoke too loudly,
Recommended to install a delayed auditory feedback app.
Write me a white whimsical poem
With fairies unicorns and wizards
May all the men be kind and strong
And the grandmas never cook gizzards
And the children always play outside
Doors of the houses are never locked
Games aren’t on phones computerized
With joy playing ball and hopscotch
No war crimes and no school shooter
We all smile in the coolest clothes
Riding bikes skateboards or scooters
Happiness is what we all know
Looking back it was a fantasy
To live in a simpler time yesterday
Perhaps we can learn to be
As free if we dream and find a way
I Remember
I remember a time
When all was so bright
With bustling crowds
And neon lit nights
Covered wagon caterpillars
And bunnies of blue
Teacups that spun
You sat in them too
I remember the days
When scooters could fly
Pinball was king
And everything thrived
I remember the smells
Of hot dogs & beer
I remember it all
And wish it still there
Bill MacEachern
05/02/2022
Ice, ice, baby
You pour me over maybe
A straw to pierce the depths
Inhale the deepest breaths
A fancy glass all fluted
In milky joy I'm rooted
A scoop of whizzed banana
Tastes of pure Americana
The decor is all flashy
Just white and red, not trashy
All dressed up in your nifties
Time travel to the fifties
For teens on scooters suited
All sweetness undiluted
A jukebox in the corner
Soothes away all worldy trauma
Drop a dime to stick a tune on
Whirrs and clicks to drop the best song
Grab yourself a Coca-Cola
Dance in lights from the Rock-Ola
Gals all twirls and frilly knickers
Dudes in shiny winkle pickers
There's an innocence and beauty
As they jive to Tutti Frutti
How we'd love to travel back there
Leaving every burden and care
Just an evening sure to thrill ya
Taste of ice-cold pure vanilla
It was a day of chaos
The day the pensioners struck,
Massed Mobility Scooters moving
Forward like a Rugby Union ruck,
Blocking all the streets
In the centre of town,
To all intents and purposes
Closing the city down.
The police were very tolerant,
Withdrawing their attack
After more than one officer suffered
From a wielded walking stick's whack.
The atmosphere changed
Soon after that
Lots of bonhomie
Banter and chit chat.
The action was called offi
Promptly at five to three
Thus allowing each
To be home in time for tea.
The action wasn't called
For any cause or good:
No it was carried out
Just to show they could.
Massed Mobility Scooters moving
Forward like a Rugby Union ruck.
It was a day of chaos
The day the pensioners struck.
C-Chris Kringle's
H-Hideaway
R- Readily
I-Infinite
S-Santa's
T-Toy
M-Making
A-All
S-Successfully
T-Trucks
O-Operation
Y-Yo Yo’s
S-Scooters
F-Fun
O-Ornaments
R-Reflecting
C-Creating
H-Happiness
I-Intriguing
L-Laughter
D-Dreaming
R-Radiant
E-Eyes
N-Nonstop
E-bikes, E-scooters, E-cars
Darting through the streets
Even E-mountain bikes
To take you to the peaks.
One problem with this E-solution
Is the amount of E-pollution
as we plug them in at night
drawing power, out of sight.
Unlike the runner or the cyclist
powered by plant-based fuels
shortsightedly we lobby for
these battery powered tools.
It seems these “green” solutions
all contain a power curse
for it seems to me their “green-ness”
is fueled by something worse.
They grasp the reins with steely fingers
in a “gentle” show of force
for the basis of their movement is
“keep the blinders on the horse”
John G. Lawless
©4/3/2022
Ferry on the river;
‘Copter in the sky.
Bicycles and scooters
(Some with bells!) all pass me by.
Joggers pound the pavement;
Walkers simply stroll.
Benches are deserted.
(Recent raindrops took a toll.)
Still, I’m out here sitting,
Checking out the scene,
Feeling not quite up or down
But somewhere in between.
As my trusty pencil
Jots each thought upon a line,
It helps record reflections
Found within this mind of mine.
The grandkids have gone back to school
Eight-thirty ‘til eleven,
The days too short for even them,
At ages five and seven.
We walked them there and picked them up
But classes weren’t adjourning;
Instead, the laptops came on board
For blocks of online learning.
We’re in way over both our heads
On mouseless Chrome computers
And also on the hilly streets
Where they like riding scooters.
Despite some stress, we still had fun;
Our grandkids are delicious,
But getting back to full-time school,
Let’s hope is expeditious.
books
paint brushes
glitter glue
canvases
paper
sewing machines
balls and toys
bats and mats
scooters and bikes
Batman and Wonder Woman
Red Flyer Wagon
rakes
Two axes and a hatchet
Barbeque grill
Couch, chair, three tables
Microwave, TV, light fixtures
Shredder and Fax machine
Bed, freezer, extra mattress
A three car garage but no room for a car
In downtown Denver, people
Zip around without a care
On the scooters that the city
Lets them access everywhere.
They are ridden on the sidewalks
So whoever gets the urge
Locates one that's sitting idly
With a battery's full surge.
They're not found in New York City,
Where shared bikes are what folks use
But if they make an appearance,
I think Citibikes would lose.
It's a vision of the future.
Walking, one day, won't exist
And perambulation, possibly,
Won't even be much missed.
The mommies or daddies
Or nannies convene
With toddlers or infants in tow.
The strollers get parked
And, as well, on the scene
Are the scooters for those in the know.
The sandbox and monkey bars
Plus all the slides
Keep everyone happy at play,
While the older kids run
And, at times, someone hides
On a typical after-school day.
The playground is jammed;
All the benches are filled
As the laughter and shouts fill the air
And as evening draws near
Soon the sounds will be stilled
As the silence, so strange, settles there.
Al Gore Jr. set out to save the world
His plan to stop climate change, he unfurled --
But since stopping emissions
Depends on politicians --
He's selling motorized scooters instead
Shelters are pit stops for those who ride scooters all day. They're never late for anything: no boss. Broken, but they're having fun. I wave from my office window. I smirk from my secured post. I gaze from my office window. I weep from my bus seat, as I ride home, broken.
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