Sunday, February 19, 2012

A 10-speed Magpie



Living on the Edge

Gi’me that there old ten-speed—
Don’t need 15, and 7 ain’t enough.
Gi’me one o' them springy seats, too—
Don’t want t' wreck the plumbin'.

Got smooth shifters, does she?
And brakes that work, si’vu play—
I ain’t no dang Lance Armstrong,
And this sure as hell ain’t France.

Gonna need knobby dirt tires—
Them thin racers is too wimpy
For these here rough roads—
And one of them water bottles.

Reckon I’ll take that air pump,
And one of them cable locks—
Don’t pay t' take no chances,
What with th' zombies and all.

Huh? Oh, nuthin’…just mutterin’...
Yeah, I’ll take one o' them hats, too.
Put it all on this here Visa card—
I’ll pay it off next month, I reckon…

Me? Yeah, I'm used t' th' desert—
Been livin' on th' edge for years...
Where to? Don't know just yet—
Gotta get outa this phone booth.


This is a Magpie Tale. To read more or to participate, click here!

22 comments:

  1. I almost forgot about that 10-speed bike.

    Thanks for bringing out back to mind.

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  2. Awesome! What a picture you paint, Michael...the zombie reference is icing on a tasty, tasty cake!

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  3. You got right inside your character.

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  4. I enjoyed the 'bike lingo' weaving through out the verses of your poem. The gruff attitude adds to the ambiance. I loved my ride here. Thank you for sharing this, my friend. =D

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  5. Always, always need knobby tires for the desert - yeah, the zombies have messed things up... :)

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  6. I like this a lot..and can I borrow your list...just what I need!

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  7. Much to enjoy here . . as a reader, blogger and bike fan.

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  8. Great! You can't beat an old 10 shifter!

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  9. Livin' on the edge...definitely the way to go.

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  10. reminds me of Anne Proulx writings, that language flavor.

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