on passing

Cars, buses, trucks
the wheels rock as I push
the pedals harder
my shoulders stiffen
arms firm
hands grip tight
on top of the handle bar
to counter the rocking
I focus on regaining balance
to direct my power
through the chain wheel
as I am passing
cars, buses, trucks
a kid in Chelsea Tractor
stares
thinking
man on bike goes fast
on cycle path
passing plane tree
passing plane tree
passing plane tree
across junction
across junction
passing the fine lines
of the memorial cross
a score of names
neatly chiselled
a score of names
local men buried
God only knows where
Our Glorious Dead
I always question
the choice of the word
Glorious
would not
Our Dead
convey the shit of it all better
failed diplomacy
imperial ambitions
the arms race
disputatious Royal cousins
the First World Class War
pitting the finest
strongest, fastest young men
of Europe
against each other
deploying mechanised warfare
on land, sea, under sea and air
to macerate these boys and men
in order
to maintain the old order
remember the lines
to God Save The King
as you try to break the lines
of barbed wire
where your life’s dreams
will be hung out to dry
this repeated battle with history
at this point on the road
means I’m near home now
the bike will be on its stand
me in the shower
before the 4x4 has pulled up
on some gravel drive
and seat-belts unclipped
with the stiff limbed kid
saying
impatiently
“Wait!
I’m just finishing a level.”
a level teaching what exactly?
problem solving 
tactics
actions
reactions
rewarding busy-ness, activity
playing by the rules
in return for accolades and bonuses
for doing what the game designer demands
without question
but I have one
might it all happen again?

~

CLP 21/01/2025