Bicycles

Winter has returned
           with a vengeance
strong winds and the threat
           of ice and snow :
waking at dawn I notice
           how quiet the world is
almost as though everyone
           has gone away or is in hiding
and that includes the birds
           that normally sing their hearts out
at this hour but today are silent
            Through the window I see
the sharp profile of houses
           dormant in the first light :
if this keeps up
           plans for the weekend
will have to be put on hold
           the bicycles with their oiled gears
and pumped up tires
           will just have to wait

John Lyons