Sustainable Development will be the ethos of the day,
When more Milwaukeeans walk, ride bikes, and use mass transit.

Bill Sell and Suzanne Rosenblatt are blazing trails in this domain,
Gracing our city with their presence as young elder bike riders
All about town.

Here are a couple of poems by Suzanne about mass transit and her bike rides.

MASS transit DESTRUCTION

Alas, alas, our transit’s no longer mass
We live in a land of excessive emissions
and consume excessive gas
Everyone’s cubicled in his vehicle
Our roads are over-tired
We inhale grime
Don’t notice our time
For breathable air has expired

Alas, alas, our transit’s no longer mass
We live in a land of excessive emissions
and consume excessive gas
Every political hack, every political quack
Claims to save tax money
By cutting bus service back
Every political crony, every political phony
Claims to save tax money
By dismantling Amtrak

Alas, alas, our transit’s no longer mass
We live in a land of excessive exhaust
We’ll drive our cars at any cost
Oh, why has this come to pass?
Ride your bike, a bus, a train
Walk or jog or run,
Take a rickshaw, trolley, buggy,
Almost anything’s more fun
Than sitting in a jam
In your motorized cage
Subject to fumes and toots and rage
Alas, alas, our transit’s no longer mass
The oil men have taken charge
they don’t want your global warmer
Parked in your garage
They’d rather repave an interstate
Than a bicycle trail
It’s time for us to make the case
For commuter rail

                   A CYCLE OF BIKEPOEMS

BIKE AND PUNISHMENT

Biking with the wind at my back is a breeze
Coasting to the lake, cruising under trees.
With the wind at my chest biking home
I suspect I’m being forced to atone
For every evil deed I’ve done
Though I can’t think of one.

Though I can’t think of one,
I’m sure others could list some
For the line is seldom clear,
between wise and unwise, right and wrong
So
I simply sigh and huff and puff and muddle and pedal along.

BIKERS OF THE WORLD UNITE
You’ve Nothing to Lose But your Chains

“Oh no, I can’t believe you biked today.”
“Lady, you need snow tires!”
“Hey, Suzanne, can’t I give you a lift? I’ll take you anywhere. “
Wherever I go I ride the road on a bike, not in a Chevy
It may take longer, but makes me stronger, and keeps me from getting heavy

“Be careful, Suzanne, watch the ice. I worry about you.”
Well, don’t, please don’t
Even if I happen to die on my bike.
At least I’m living a life I like
Through rain and wind and sleet and snow
Ninety above, thirty below
I’d rather be outside of the womb
Than enclosed in a car or ensconced in my room
Rather be pedaling my dusty, my rusty, my trusty single speed
Thieves think it’s a joke, even missing a spoke, nothing that stimulates greed.

Okay, so you know me,
Know I do it for ecology
Know I do it for exercise
Strengthens calves, tightens thighs

I do it to gaze, to think, to write
there’s much more I could mention
I also do it because I’ve bad eyes
So driving is out of the question
And there’s one more reason I recognize
Certain people shouldn’t drive
Are you sure you should?

Is the car a proper vehicle for working off aggression
Is it the most impressive means for human self-expression
If your ego lacks dimension,
should a car be its extension?
Do you notice the odor
when you rev your motor
And regret your foul emission?
You could opt for a bike
Or even a trike
and turn off your ignition.

Do you drive one block to the pharmacy?
I shudder at all the harm I see
As exhaust fills the air
Lines my nose
Coats my hair
Thanks to those
Who fear
Exhaustion

Suzanne Rosenblatt

copyrights,
Bike poem in 2001,
Transit in 2005
http://rosenblattgallery.com/suzanne/poetry.shtml