BONUS SONNET: Wet And Grey, A Perfect Day

A grey sky makes me love the landscape more;
The greens and browns of it stand out so well
Against the steely dome above. Before,
A clear sky held me firm under its spell,
My eyes turned up and lost in all that blue,
The lazy drift of clouds holding my gaze.
With that distraction gone, I turn down to
The Earth around me, taking in the plays
Of heightened color. Then, too, there's the scent
Of misty rain, and of the moistened soil
And vegetation. This is what I'm meant
To know today, which nothing now can spoil.
A drizzly morning's bike commute lays down
A tone for my day: bliss in which to drown.

BONUS SONNET: In Which I Wish A Motorist Ill

Convertible driver, you funny guy,

While it's hilarious, sure, I agree,

To honk your horn just as I pass on by

You on my bike while I go 'crosst the street,

And laugh a brutish laugh at my small scream,

It's funny, too, to hope that some day soon

A murder of foul crows cuts loose a stream,

A rain of well-used carrion, right at noon,

On you and your sweet ride. I'd not so curse

Were honking as I passed your only sin --

But revving up your engine with a lurch

Right for me? Lo, the harridan within

Me wakes and calls down all upon your head

A shower of shit. You'll wish that you were dead.

In Which Deep Blue And I Commune With The Greenway

Were I struck blind, still could I make my way

From work to home on Cheyenne's best bike route,

Just by the smells encountered ev'ry day

Along the path. My nose is more acute

After a summer's daily travel there.

Once past the city street and vulcanized

Smell of the tire place that is right where

The Greenway starts for me, as I am prized

From car traffic, the smell of fresh-cut grass,

Late blooming trees and cattails dominate

Until I pass the paddock where, alas,

A lonely horse stands grazing, with no mate.

The wet concrete and dust of tunnels, then

I'm practically already home again.

BONUS SONNET: Everything Is Better With AIR

"Hey lady," called out sev'ral local sprats,

As I did huff and puff on down the street.

"Your tires are flat!" Oh hey, so maybe that's

Why one mile felt like forty. To complete

My shame, I did quite fail to bring along

My bike pump. Like a chorus, then, did sound

The gleeful and humiliating song

As I bore down and pow'red my way around

The Greenway to the exit on Ridge Road.

With gritted teeth I thanked each helpful soul,

Accepted each outcry as one more goad

To keep me moving onward to my goal.

The sad thing is, I think that yesterday

A kid yelled out the same thing. Oy and vey.

An Overdue Reunion Is Not Without Its Costs

Deep Blue and I, together once again,
And weather once again allowing us
To re-explore the Greenway in Cheyenne,
We rode on out with very little fuss
(Deep Blue's my bike, I should perhaps explain
A Jamis 2.0 Commuter star).
And so began my new '09 campaign
To be in shape by June to ride as far
As work and back each day and burn no gas:
An Eight-plus mile round trip I love to make.
I'm starting near from scratch, alack, alas:
Last night one mile was all that I could take,
As my poor thighs and flanks refuse to cease
Reminding me. O Tylenol! Some peace!

I'm Enjoying My New Work Hours While They Last

Before today, the sun rose after I
Had gotten up and dressed and off to work.
In winter, several hours would go by
Before it came up; now I've earned a perk.
My shift begins at nine like normal folks'.
Like normal folks, I go to bed at night.
Of course with this new shift there comes the jokes
About the lights and traffic I must fight
To get there in the fierce Cheyenne rush hour.
It's just for now, though, because I just might
Commute by bike before the year's first flower
Emerges from the frozen dirt in spring.
The greenway path is really just the thing!

I Did My Bit for Global Warming, and I'll Do It Again Before January is Out

I thought, perhaps, I'd ride my bike today
As morning dawned, so bright and clear and clean.
My plans on sober pond'ring went astray;
The cold wind in my face, also the sheen
Of hoarfrost glitt'ring all around the place
Belied, indeed, my window's invitation.
Astride my bike, I go at a good pace,
Much rapider than in p'rambulation.
A walk with collie proved I'd be a fool
To let that cold wind hit with greater speed.
Am I a wimp? Oh well, I'm sure that you'll
Say so. I just didn't see the need
For pain. And so, though it's not very far,
I did my grocery shopping with my car.