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.