Safety Bike: Three Centuries of Service     

An original verse by Mason St. Clair

Editor Note:

Mr. St. Clair is the editor and founder of the long-running Wire Donkey Bike Zine, a unique cycling newsletter, a.k.a. a zine, published in Nashville, Tennessee, and full of original essays, commentary, cartoons, cycling tips and other neat stuff. It is a friendly forum of camaraderie among subscribers, also known as members of "The Big Red Barn."  For more information on subscribing to the Wire Donkey, contact Mason at masonbike@aol.com. 

Mason explains the title of the poem:  "Safety bike" is probably an archaic term, but refers to a bike with equal size front and rear wheels. It is referred to as a safety bike, as compared to the "high wheeler," which was a short lived bike and was rather unsafe. 

Safety Bike
None's your like--
In three centuries you've served!
Save a hike
Down the pike
Whether straight or curved!
Beast of wire
You require
No Mid East Oil or OPEC whim!
Inflate a tire
Light my fire
And keep my physique trim!
Diamond frame
Still the same
Down to each spoke and rim!
Work of art
Every part
We dedicate to you this hymn!

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