Jim Bennett

noise

there is nothing but noise
outside cars swoosh past
on the rain swilled road
a neighbour's dog barks
somewhere a child is crying
these are the sounds that woke me
today
mined from a memory
forty years old
because here it is quiet
a silence punctuated by
an occasional birdsong
and in this fading remnant
my mothers scent
and a distant voice
calling my name
vanishing
like mist
as I draw close to it

remembering my racing position

a bike frame like this
is made to order
the rider reduced
to statistics
measurements between
the moving parts
foot ankle knee hip
hand wrist elbow shoulder
calculated measured
shaped into a template
against which the tubes
are laid and welded

then crank length
fork rake
seat tube
and stem all measured
gears selected
to suit power output
and cadence
fitted to match the rider
then all these measurements
written into a spec
like I did thirty years ago

once done
you only have to
order a bike
and it comes bespoke
to meet your requirements

these days some riders
play with position
sit crouched
in wind tunnels
looking for the seconds
that bring victory

but for me
my bike was built to spec
ready to ride
an identical position
to all my other past bikes
I'm able to sit on it
and race if I wanted
or ride my favoured lanes
and paths
or climb the twisting roads
in Wales

I chose my colour:
a deep blue with
maker’s decals
and my name along the top tube
picked out in gold
just like it is
in my treasured photo
from a Sunday
on the Isle of Man

when it came
I tried to sit upon this
measured shaped and
calculated bike
but found alas
my template
must have changed

© Jim Bennett