In top gear the rider skims
\nalong the line of parked cars
\ntorso egg-compact
\nlegs thrusting like heart compressions
\ntires sizzling on smooth asphalt.<\/p>\n
Ahead, in the driver\u2019s seat,
\nthis one reaches for something
\non the passenger side
\nand simultaneously swings
\nthe door out into the street.<\/p>\n
Only in slow motion is this graceful:
\nreflexes instant, the rider
\nveers left and arcs parabolical
\noff the door as the bicycle
\ncrams into the apex of the metal V.<\/p>\n
The rider spins sideways
\nonto the pavement
\nto be rolled over
\nand dragged
\nby a following sedan.<\/p>\n
The concluding hysteria
\nof adrenaline-hyped witnesses
\nlifting the hulkish metal
\noff the shattered rider
\nand dragging her
\nbroken body out
\nwas not a good start to
\nthe rest of their lives.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Bicyclists plus thoughtless drivers on the same streets equals increasing occasions for disaster. #1099 Continue reading