Cycling Stories

Why Don’t You Get a New Bike?

May 19, 2020

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Why Don’t You Get a New Bike?

Why don’t you get a new bike? 
the passing biker said 
without waiting for a response. 
But I have an answer. 

I’ve ridden the same bike 
for over forty years. 
I got it new in ’72. 
Shiny blue, my college blue. 

It’s a one-speed, 
and it’s slowed down 
over the years, 
but it’s my speed. 

Oh, I’ve changed the tubes, 
even the tires, 
dabbed touch-up paint, 
and replaced the tail reflector, 
but the bike works fine. 

It’s held up better than me, 
and I’m not ready 
to be discarded. 
I don’t need a new bike.

In memory of my brother Richard, who gave me the bike when I was a poor college student. 

Anne Millbrooke studied history, has lived in many states throughout the US, and currently travels in a camper van and enjoys life from her home in Bozeman, Montana.
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