When I'm on my bike

When I’m on my bike I whuffle softly at passing dogs

Wuffwuffwuffwuffwuff

Because even though I am a grown woman I am still a child

We make eye contact and share a smile

Before I whizz away

The owner looking 

a bit puzzled

When I’m on my bike I can check out the bum 

of the person 

in front of me

When I’m on my bike I can get to work 

in the same amount of time it would take on the tube

The same amount of sweat

But I pay for my commute

with my legs and core

And spend my tube money on faraway holidays and 

savings accounts with pitiful interest rates

Because I am a Millennial

And we work bloody hard
and look after our income

as best we can

When I’m on my bike I understand the veins of London

The way the London Eye appears to be on the North bank

if you cycle back from Battersea Park

The way you can see Big Ben from the top of Whitehall

but not the bottom

My London bridges spreading outwards from

St George’s Circus

like the spokes of a wheel

When I'm on my bike 

I can smell fried onions and sausages

on Waterloo Road South

Roast duck and crispy fried noodles 

in Chinatown

The rain coming in 

from the west

When I’m on my bike

and we have a hard ride

with phonefaced pedestrians

and obstreperous drivers

I give Claud a gentle pat on her plump saddle

and say

We did well today, Claud

Thank you for keeping me safe

When I’m on my bike

Photo by Debot at Dutch Wikipedia

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