April, the city
full of sunshine
sky Mediterranean blue
the half moon has been
strangely visible all day
it looks like the rock it is
under the sea above
all its craters crayoned in
by the same blue
clots of tourists
choking the footpaths
from Tower Bridge
south to Jamaica Wharf
wandering thoughtlessly
into the cycle path
making me weave my e-bike
en route to Johnny’s Fish Bar
there’s been football today
police horses deployed
by Bermondsey tube
huge beasts who poo freely
on the pavement
leaving deposits
outside the bank
I’m sure there must be a by-law
about leaving horse dung
on the road in Southwark
I’ll check it out
report it to the police
this skid risk
of equine skid marks
I barely touch my pedals
this machine
gives me wings
it’s top dollar
heavy, high-powered
fat treads
fly me through clouds
of feeble cherry blossom
I think of
biodegradable confetti
think of the sort of husband
I might want to be
on chat on my fat headphones
my ears sweat
inside the cushioned cups
my voice raised
to hear myself speak
through the foam
this old white guy
(outside Johnny’s)
interrupts my conversation
when I mention Josh Sargent
football, our commonality
my university town (economics)
his home
I’ve seen his team on telly
my friend plays for Plymouth
who beat his fragile Pompey
I smile, the smile
you know the one
the one you use
when the old white guy
presumes
you’re outside the chippy
with an e-bike
because its your job
and he’s wrong
I like cycling
I’m buying supper
he looked after my bike
while I went to the counter
for my fish & chips
It’s not a proper bike
he jokes
he’s right
we laugh
shake hands
depart
~
CLP 06/04/2025
Journey of Words 
6 responses
Lovely sense of place, as well as the e-bike experience.
Wonderful ♥️
Caleb, Thank you. 🙏
I love the way you set the familiar scene in the opening stanzas, Chris, and described the ‘clots of tourists’ and Bermondsey tube – my mother’s family is originally from off the Old Kent Road. I bet it’s changed since I was last there. I was taken back to my cycling days, too, and love the thought of flying through ‘clouds of feeble cherry blossom’, my kind of biodegradable confetti.
Thank you for the e-bike tour in your poem, Chris. I will not get over the “biodegradable confetti” 🙂
You would easily…its very malleable. 🙏