In honor of Biker Poetry Month, I've decided to post some of my Biker Poetry, Biku, and Biker Rants!
Enjoy!
Gypsy

Biker Down

© By Gypsypashn~~’~~,~~<{@

July 2008

Biker Down

the saying goes

Unless you've been there

you can't really know

One minute you're up

the next you're down

and then like wildfire

it's all over the town

And what bothers you most

as best can be told

with a painful injury

one feels quite old

Can't feel the breeze

or the wind through your hair

just laid up in bed

it's not really fair

Though it wasn't your fault

doesn't change the outcome

even though the bike's just fine

the riding, this season is done

And so as you watch

Your friends all ride by

You sit home on the couch

With cabin fever and cry

Polished steel, shiny chrome

Sits idle in the garage

unused

all alone

=======

BIKU:

BIKU

Drama is the ride

The open road calls to you

And there you must go!

~*~*~*~

It's quite contrary

when wheels do spin round and round

Makes one real happy

~*~*~*~*~

Vroom vroooom Vrooooom Vroooooom Vrooooooooooooom

That's one of the nicest sounds

The sound of music

~*~*~*~*~*~

An oil change, lube job

Making sure the bike's ready

For the summers ride

~*~*~*~*~*~

Wheels spin round and round

Lots of miles on the bike

Gas does go further

~*~*~*~*~*~

There's nothing better

Than the sun shining above

And riding below

~*~*~*~*~

I spit and polish

I wash, wax, and dry the bike

Then it starts to rain!

~*~*~*~*~

Eden lives close by

As nearby as the highway

Somewhere I can ride

~*~*~*~*~

Riding Haiku

Harvesting sunshine

To tuck inside my leather

for riding weather

by ©Gypsypashn.... 4/26/2005

HAIKU 5/13/2005

freedom isn't free

it costs lots of money which

I don't have right now

**********

I need to ride now

it's spring although there's no sun

winter's here again

************
There's no time to ride

like the present they say but

there's no good weather

********************
Summer shines warmly

Steel's season shimmers brightly

the road beckons me

'tis time to ride now

the highway calls my passion

it wakens desire

****************

the wind blows wildly

the sun shines mildly on me

I'm finally free

It's about riding

And freedom and free feeling

it's not about fear

***************

Kindly share the road

Please lighten the load so that

all who ride are safe

******************

Winding roads open
A peak season endorsement

without a helmet

I am in the wind

I am finally set free

From what bothers me

More money More dough

Off to the poorhouse I go

Bike has to run right!

Gypsy's not right ~ Now

Shimmy Shake Hesitate Shake

Motor Mount is Broke

Gypsypashn

When bike does not purr

There's no smile on my face

No sunshiny place

--- Steel, leather, tires, chrome

Sunshine warm summer breezes

There's nothing better

I don't consider

myself to be a wrench just

a great riding wench

Wheels roll up the road

Hair whips wildly in the wind

No better feeling

Vroom Vroom Blap Blap Blap

What is all the noise about

Isn't it safety?

Harley Davidson’s

Ride Free without a helmet

New Hampshire Bike Week

= = =

Shiny chrome Six Speeds

Now fifteen hundred CC’s

Make for a fine ride

= = =

A throaty rumble

Underneath colorful frame

Coming from the pipes

= = =

A throaty rumble

Behind a colorful frame

Coming from the pipes

=======

Bob Didn't Come Home Last Night

Bob didn't come home last night

Lost his life riding his bike, that's right

He was out enjoying a legal sport

When a callous driver cut his life short

A young gal talking on her cell

Vaulted him thru the gates of hell

Leaving behind a family, a wife

To warily deal with the loss of life

A life that's worth less than a grand

According to the judge's sentence at hand

His loving grandkids he'll never know

Nor will he be able to watch them grow

His wife will scramble and try to manage

Amidst the tragedy and the carnage

His kids will miss their "good ol' Dad"

Try to cling to memories, yet still be sad

Friends will never see "Ice Cream Bob"

Nor will his co-workers on the job

Bob's body lies under the ground

Friends will come for miles around

To storm the courthouse and razz the judge

Though with her sentence, she will not budge

Ms VanWinsen will drive again and call

Her friends because she can, it's not her downfall!

She'll go on with her daily routine

The judge washed her hands, and left them clean

The nightmares she left the Bryant clan

Are horrific to most ordinary man

But Christie will never know any regret

Cuz she got the best deal yet!

And we can change it

And rearrange it

We can legislate

And rally the State

If not, they'll take another

One of our sisters or brothers

Will lose their life

And there'll be more strife

So write up a bill

Get it to Capitol Hill

Then take a stand

To the vote command

That it be passed; our rights saved

And a brand new day and new road paved

No, Bob didn't come home last night

and the sentence won't stand, we gotta make this right!

=========

A place a came upon while on my way to a poker run

Boulevard Diner

Boulevard diner

Set at the side of the road

Polyester revisited

Come lighten your load

Cigarette smoke wafts in the air

The attending waitress with

Scrambled yellow hair

Piled above a Veronica face

Short order cook Joe

With his paper hat in place

“One Boulevard Special”

Down the counter slides

To rest in front of Charlie

Behind the newspaper he hides

Chromed mini jukes

At each and every booth

Playing melodies of love and of truth

Java hot java

Fills my cup

The scene borne of the 50’s

I’m eating it up

Double yoked eggs

Spatter the grill

“Boulevard Special”

Sounded out so shrill

Revisiting now

A place lost in time

Existing in the present

Reality to the rhyme

I came across this in my travels today

In my mind embedded forever

This vision will stay

I share it with you now

So you can see it too

Oh by the way

One lump, or two?

=======

Catty ‘ol Hatty

The Sportster Version

Hatty was so catty

She drove herself batty

Because her po’ daddy would itch

He sent his affection

In Mattie’s direction

Hatty thought

cuz Mattie’s so rich

Said Hatty to daddy

What’s up with dear Mattie?

In her sweetest feline pitch

Said daddy to Hatty

I just admire ol’ Mattie

But daddy really started to twitch

Said Hatty to daddy

Ya right I believe that y

And Hatty called Mattie a witch

Now Hattie so catty

Drove ol’ Daddy to Mattie

Daddy’s feelings for Hattie did mince

Now daddy’s sportster they say

Is parked in Mattie’s driveway

And things just ain’t been the same since.

=========

Damned Am I
© by Gypsypashn ---,--'--<{@

Damned am I
With this poets pen
Writing from inspiration
Offered from women and men
People are jealous
And don't understand
It's what's felt in the soul
And translated by hand
What really gets me
Is their reaction malicious
And they don't even realize
How much of it's fictitious

====================

Fallen Brothers

© by Gypsypashn~~'~~,~~<{@

Sealed lips

Open Casket

Solemn faces

Flower baskets

families and friends

fellow brothers

left behind to pick up the pieces

aunts and uncles

nephews and nieces

Felled by bullets

or a well-planned OD

respects paid by brethren

with sullen faces

remembrances of olden days

and far off places

The dark and the dank

sullen cast of the funeral parlor

the pat on the back bear hugs

of those left behind

their tears unable to flow

lonely tomorrows come to mind

The ritual continues

and more often than not

one by one they fall

with each passing day

but oh for the "Brotherhood"

they did pass away

Yet to live their lives

they know no other way

and so one by one are picked off

One by one they slip away

The procession continues

To this very day

Sealed Lips

and open caskets

Solemn faces

Flower baskets

============

First Snow

© Betsy E Lister

a/k/a Gypsypashn~~'~~,~~<{@

11/13/2004

Virgin crystals

Cover the ground like glimmering diamonds

A frosty Blanket o’er the forever expanse of yard

, the street the river

past the horizon

beautiful albescence shimmering against a cold canvas

Mother Nature displays her bounty of winter

months way too soon

it’s not even Thanksgiving yet

So pretty to look at

Serene, and untouched, clean void of soot a carbon from passing vehicles

Almost calming in nature

But oh so depressing at the same time

trying to seek solace am I with the painted picture of

cogitating Dresden-white displayed before my eyes

Fist snow….

Last ride

My motorcycle sleeps in the garage

hibernating for the winter

==================

Flying Aggies

Calliope's cornucopia'd colors

She paints with her brush

Whizzing by

at high speeds

whirring a blur

that swirls past

her rear views

trailing behind her

in the wind

rainbow'd streams

against

a canvas of sky

~*~

Crack!!!

Splat!!!

Shatter!!

Shards of glass

splinter and fly

Maybe that

will teach

them

to respect

out there

on the road

==========================

For Gilda

6/17/2001

We need to educate the public about motorcycles, our numbers are strong; and here's proof, it's the other motorists out there that are putting our lives in jeopardy:

This came to me after hearing about Gilda
it won't bring her back,
but maybe it will help
stir US ALL
toward protecting out rights out there
on the roadways...

For Gilda:

Why
must they mandate?
Why
can't they educate?
Why
must we die?
Why
must they lie?
Why
must we cry?
Why
must we die?
We die
They lie
We die
~
Why?
Why?
Why?

Education is the key; but no...
tis easier to single out a segment
of society
and place restrictions on them
After all, they're not right.
Oh no, they're left
A little too far to ..
so we must restrict them
hamper them
quell and silence their way
of thinking
lights are blinking
off and on
they might rebel
and to us do tell
how to run this land
that won't be grand
let's take a stand
and man....date
sedate
not educate
yeah, that will keep them
straight!
~*~*~
noone gets it
until
steel crashes
and gas tanks explode
ripping flesh and breaking bones
~
the lifeless form
once a wife
a mother
a friend
gone!!
~
Blood spills to asphalt
CPR
blows living air
into dead lungs
at the side of the road
Friends scream and holler
in horrific shock
A husband wails
and trembles
his wife lying dead
oh dear God
on his knees now
friends can't console him
God why?
Why?
Why
did she have to die?

No breath can revive
her neck
snapped in half
like a twig
the cager
a fair young 20
who thought he knew
plenty
on a yahoo with his friends
isn't life fun?
crosses the double yellow
now there's a fellow
who lived
to tell
how he killed
someone's mother,
now,
isn't that swell?
~*~
They won't educate
they mandate
to keep us straight
And send their young
to kill us
one
by
one
by
one
~
Why?
Why?
why?

Written for:

Gilda Musgrove
assistant director of WOW 34, from Stoughton MA,
who was killed instantly yesterday
when she and two other riders were struck head on
by a car driven by a 20 yr old
who crossed over the double yellow line; while reaching for his cell phone

============================

Ghostrider unfinished…..

6/4/2006

The power of the throttle when the wrist gives it a crack

The sound of exhaust as it gives out a “blap”

The feel of the sun shining down upon your back

The open road laid out as your track

This free born feeling that no one else knows

Except for other riding sisters and bro's

Is one imbedded in your soul

And stays with you until you’re old

I don’t know if there’s a heaven or hell

But one thing I know real well

Once my soul has left this earth

My spirit will remain where it was since birth

And in the shadows I’ll remain therein

And I’ll always be a ghost rider in the wind!

~*~*~

Signoff:

Let your wheels find pavement smooth

And your emotions take a ride to soothe

Let the sun shine down upon your back

And as for riding, let there be no lack

Let good fortune and good times roll

Because that’s what warms a biker’s soul!

=================================

Take III

Gypsy Rider

12/31/2006 © Gypsypashn ~~'~~,~~<{@

A Gypsy she has made of me

the taste of life so sweet

into her saddle I find I must go

to ride and claim the street

The open road it calls me

her frame beneath my butt

compels me to leave all else behind

and go out for a putt

The road's a winding thoroughfare

with greenery abound

peppered with potholed dips

beneath my rumbling sound

Round the bend she's taken me

to a mountain’s less traveled road

One I find myself enthralled with

really lightening my load

Becoming one with panoramic land

rolling o'er the road

Throttling up with my right hand

on this feeling I'm so sold

The increasing resounding thunder

is nectar oh so sweet

I find I cannot sit still

and squirm about in her seat

Her steel frame is an extension

of my body - of me

as one we bond together

like a forest acclimates a tree

I ride on into the sunset

to the west - to the east

I must keep on riding

Nature's bounty is such a feast

She's totally overcome me

and taken o'er my mind

I have to keep on riding

That's my fate in kind

Ride on 'til I no longer can

'til the wind has flown my sail

and left with spirit only

those behind to tell the tale

The tale of a Gypsy rider

who rode across the land

her steel steed known as Gypsy-

of the throttle in her hand

Left a mark each place they traveled

a souvenir of the cycle and self

Something for those they passed by

to mark upon their shelf

They rode 'til the very last moment

'Til their life and breath had quelled

to the day that death claimed Gypsy

when her chest no longer swelled

She loved each and every minute

of her time out on the road

and leaves it as a legacy

a story to be told

Told to younger riders

who find this passion the same

and take to the road and honor

her Gypsy riding fame

Gypsy's steed remains a monument

of the miles beneath the seat

A remaining surviving token

of a life that riding make complete

So ride on all ye riders

ride on while you can

'til we meet in heaven's highway

and ride together once again

The Gypsies they will find you

as you reach heaven's gate

and be your tour guide

and lay out your riding fate

====================

My PHD

A connoisseur of motorcycles
I’ve come to be

It’s been a long time coming

Since before I was twenty-three

I’ve studied the models

Their looks their sizes

Know what makes them look good

How to win those prizes

I’m familiar with most the parts

From the front to the rear

Swing arms exhaust

And what sounds good to the ear

Recognize the different levers, handlebars and grips

Have scoured the aisles at the local dealerships

Have learned what filters bolts and nuts

Go on the bike to make it purr when it putts

Know all the light options, the brakes, the wheels

When to shop to get the best of deals

I’ve memorized the catalogs

And know most the pages

Can customize any model

with the rest of the sages

So now I guess

You can plainly see

While I’ve been studying and

working on my degree

that Harley Davidson’s

the last two initials

In my P HD

=====================

Her Dreamer’s Disease

October 30, 2000

The aches or pains

of everyday failure

Of heartache and blues

riddle her at times

Dilemmas and predicaments

with no clear answers

swirl through her ever wakeful mind

Satisfaction and fulfillment

Happiness and bliss

When they elude her

will trigger her ailment

Her dreamer's disease

Her symptoms will begin again

Compassion and understanding

will fill her head

love and light

will fill her heart

Health and happiness

will fill her body

Her dreamer's disease

Is what keeps her

searching

for an answer

to her happiness

Because it's her dreamer's disease

that offers her hope

As she rolls along the open road

=======================

Hold me
© by Gypsypashn ---,--'--<{@

Hold me in your arms tonight
Keep me warm until dawn's early light
Let me feel your breath as we lay sleeping
In each other's arms for safe keeping

Take my hand in the morning sun
Spend the time ‘til day is done
Laughing smiling all day long
Singing together life's happy song

Ride beside me to a path of light
No more nightmares thru the night
Days of bliss and of sharing
Truly content in the nest of caring

Hold me in your arms tonight
Kiss me softly...Good night.

Sweet dreams babe~

=============================

I Need to Be...
© by Gypsypashn ---,--'--<{@

I need to be in the wind
To feel free again
I long for cold steel between my knees
And feel my hair flying in the breeze
I need the warmth of the sun on my back
O how my soul is aching for the lack
I have to ride the open road
Seeking new adventure, remembering the old
Past mountains’ majesties and rolling seas
By the meadows, and endless rows of trees
The freedom feel of riding I have found
Surpasses that of any other around
So if today the open road I can meet
My heart will feel happy and complete
And what would be even better you see
Would be, love….
If you’d come ride with me

It’s frightening to think

That motorcycling’s on the brink

Of extinction

As we know it.

It’s starting to show it.

Who’ll be left after us

To jump on this bus

And continue the fight

And maintain our rights

There’s not enough

Young riders buff

Who care about defending

Their rights or mending

Bridges with the EPA

Hey say…

did you read?

Can you heed?
We’re menaces of the road

We’ve no right to share its load

If that school of thought

Continues

We ought not

To share the road

Cuz that’s what we’re told

Scary feeling

Sets us a reeling

[

You call me…..

What I’m told I am!

Yeah you call me a biker, a villain, a rogue

I wear broken in leather ‘cuz I know it’s in vogue

Call me a knave, a miscreant, a menace, a thief

Claim I’ll steal the toothpick from t’ween your front teeth

Say I’m a hoodlum, a rowdy, and boisterously gruff

Unruly, disorderly, underlying tough

You call me all those things but babe can’t you see

You don’t even know…. The real me!

Hear you call me asshole an idiot a scamp,

Just short of a hothead and even a tramp

Say I’m known as an outsider a loner; bad seed

I have no use for corporate greed

When I hit the asphalt there’s no denying

I’m in the wind I’m going to keep on riding,

You can chase me down to Daytona or up to DC

There’s no use trying; trying to catch or stop me!

I’ll hijack the open road and fresh air, Just cuz I can

And remember darlin’ I’m not even a man.

I’ll enslave every inch of highway that rolls ‘neath my wheels

And steal that free born feeling, ‘cuz that’s where good feels!

Call me a sinner; a brawler, a roisterer, and loud

When I’m in the wind I’m undeniably proud

Claim I’m blustery, and bitter, bold and broken

Each road I travel, I’ve grabbed me a token

I’m sarcastic intense and bitingly rash

Every memorable mountain I’ll tuck under my sash

I’ll commandeer Nature’s bounty right down to the marsh

Because that’s my ploy because I’m a biker so harsh

All the names you can call me I don’t care ‘bout to hide!

‘Cause I’m just a free born biker and it’s all about the ride!

I’m not careless, but determined, foolish and bold

But determined to ride until I’m too old!

But you can call me names but one day you’ll see

A biker exemplifies freedom, and there’s a lot more out there like me

=====

IN THE WIND
by: Betsy E Lister a/k/a
© Gypsypashn ---,--'--<{@

Majesties call us again
You by my side
We take to the open road
The hot summer's sun
Beaming warmth on our backs
Wind embracing our faces
Hair whipping wildly

Like that of an untamed paintbrush

Splashing vivid color on canvas

The melody of the engines hum

Strikes a symphony upon the air
Crescendo of pipes roars
It's orchestration at it's finest
A ballet on wheels
Rolling hills and countryside
The backdrop superb and sublime

We couldn't have painted it better

God provided

Our
Guardian Angels enabled

Mother Nature endowed

You wink
I smile

As we explore each mile
In sync
In tune
with the essence
and splendor of it all

Another revolving vista
Wide open adventure
The enticing lure of the road

The rolling and winding of endless landscape
The thrill of the unknown
Unexplored
Never before experienced

Now

shared together

Our rhythm and rhyme

The melody entwines

Together we ride

You and me

Side by Side

~*~

You and me

On the brink

In Sync

In the Wind

=================================

I Gotta Do (I Gotta Do page 1)

9/19/2004

My wild younger days

are catching up with me

I done gone way past

the age of 53

I’m about as washed up

as a woman could be

But I put on a smile, a smile outside

‘ Cuz I gotta do what I got to, to ride!

My body aches;

it suffers from the cold

My bones these days

are feeling mighty old

And my muscles now have

a mind of their own

But I don’t pay it all no mind

‘ Cuz I gotta do what I got to, to ride!

My wrist’s in a wrap

My hip’s in a cast

I done broke my foot,

this summer past

My back’s a brace

My arm’s in a sling

I’m told I shouldn’t do

much of anything

Behind that statement you know

I won’t hide

“Cuz I gotta do, what I got to, to ride!

Hell, if I were the tin man

My joints they’d be rust

The rest of me would

Make a nice bronze bust

That’s as sedentary as the doc’s say

I should be

But they just don’t know

What’s goin’ on

inside me

So I just take it all in;

all in stride

‘Cuz I gotta do, what I got to, to ride.

(I Gotta Do page 2)

I’ve left along the way

Some bodily parts

Some’s been donated

To savings the arts

So with what’s left

I’ll hold onto;

hold onto inside

Cuz’ I gotta do, what I got to, to ride.

Liquid libation

gives me duration

And I can wear a brace

and ski mask my face

I can don mittens and woolens

And be all warm inside

‘Cuz I gotta do, what I got to, to ride!

Well, on days I be hurting

And feeling a bit ill

I know I can pop me

Another one of them special pills

That sure nuff gonna give me,

Give me the will to survive

“Cuz I gotta do what I got to, to ride!

Well the doc’s say I’m pure loco

Done gone lost my sense

Hell, it’s like I fell

on the other side of the fence

But I pick myself up

Like a new born bride

“Cuz I gotta do what I got to, to ride!

Well done gone lost my body

And now some say, my mind

People be a talking

And say I’m “that kind”

The type that be crazy

And should be locked up

But I let um know

that I’m just a young pup

And keep them in kind

“Cuz I gotta do what I got to, to ride!

Well you can say (I Gotta Do page 3)

what you want to

Hell; even mean what you say

But I’ll just get on my scoot

And ride away

And I won’t look back

And with that keep my pride

“Cuz I gotta do what I got to, to ride!

=======================

Less Traveled

A ride

Side by Side

Hands clasped together
On a distant shore
One last wish….
That there was more

=========

MOTM Fond memories

9/22/2003

© by Gypsypashn ---,--'--<{@

At the Meeting of the Minds

Better bikers you'll never find

The people that I met

Are the greatest fighters yet!

I felt so honored to be present

With so many living legends

I just wish we could improve

And out 'there' the apathy move

So others would join the fight

Because they know it's right

This weekend we shared our thoughts

Ways to improve our rights were taught

And everyone had a say

Throughout the entire day

Many awards were given

To those who had risen

To the next plateau of the cause

Receiving a thunderous applause

I tell y'all this and share

With those that weren't there

Because there's such a sense of pride

Amongst those of us who ride

A mere three hundred folk

Fought, shared, cried and joked

And raised a ton of money!

Ninety-six thousand dollars, honey!

Deep pockets all around

Donations did abound

But the richest part of all

Was when the auctioneer did call

"Tonight we have a special token

Of a brother that was broken

And taken from us too soon

Let's take this bidding to the moon!"

The emcee then did commence

The honorable remembrance

Of President Buck Kittredge

I'm glad I had the privilege

Of actually being there

When the spokesman did declare

Him a staunch stalwart fighter

An emotional cause igniter

A leader of strength and dignitary

Who went far beyond being ordinary

The entire weekend was based

Protecting the freedoms he chased

We were there to carry on

So what he lived for wouldn't be gone

As raffles items did sell

Emotions began to swell

Through his family's strife

But to epitomize his life

They donated his item most prized

To everyone's surprise!

When Buck's buckle and his belt

Were raffled off it felt

As if the ceiling would blow

From the heartfelt glow

John Bolin and friends then hollered

"We'll bid three thousand dollars"

The soulful feeling

Sent the whole room reeling!

No sooner had he paid

The prize he took and laid

In the lap of Buck's young son

Tears rose in everyone!

He said in a voice that quivered

"Your dad would want this delivered

And to be passed unto you

I know this to be true"

I can't begin to tell

How everyone’s tears did swell

And mirrored those of mine

Bitter-sweet feelings oh so fine

Never ever before have I

Felt so privileged to cry

In front of a cast of many

Dry eyes there just weren't any!

So many grand ideas

Were shared as well as fears

It was my first MOTM

But you can bet I'll go again.

With HIPPA and the EPA breathing

Down our backs our rights are leaving

If three hundred can bond and save

An organization from its grave

Imagine what thousands could do

Now I'm requesting all of you

To get totally involved

So our freedoms can evolve

I came home to continue the fight

To saving bikers' rights

It's really a sad fact

That most of us only react

After a life is lost

That's truly too great a cost

Please get involved right now

We'll be by your side to show you how

====================

Ode to the Fallen Biker

Ode to the Fallen Biker

World traveler road hitchhiker

Whose lust and longing to enjoy life without strife

Took a wicked turn along the path of life

Inhaling the landscape while rolling along

Carefree and happy and singing a song

Shiny steel, leather and two wheels underneath

Just a hugging the gas tank setting snug like a sheath

Rounding the bends and the twists with such ease

Hair flurrying in the wind meshing with the breeze

This freeborn feeling no one else knows

Except for other riding sisters and bros

It’s empyreal out there on the open road

Thunder roaring in your ears it lightens your load

The world falls away all cares seem to wane

No earthly worries enjoying freedom’s flame

The road’s so inspiring the feelings enhanced

Two wheels, hilly asphalt and taking that chance

The fallen biker just out there enjoying the ride

Lost when a negligent cager -broke his stride

Gone his precious freedom, his passion, his pride

Sending him off on that eternal ride

His kin and friends now all ride alone

On that long lonesome road heading on home

He still rides in their shadow though they not see him there

Cuz you can’t kill his spirit it’s still everywhere!

He’ll live evermore in the minds of family and friends

‘Til it’s their time to join him, and their life’s journey ends

When they’re all gone and fallen they’ll rest in God’s hands

And all ride on forever, cause that’s a biker’s plan

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

===========================

Oh How They Ride

Riders wallow

In HOG Hallow

Each machine shiny and chromed

Topped by a rider that’s domed

They line up in perfect succession

To commence orderly procession

Staggered one to the left, and one to the right.

Neatly packaged parading, a length into the night

They ride for charity

Hearts open filled with clarity

Each rider donates $20.00

With hundreds it adds up plenty

Spectators abound

Their ears perked to the sound

The unmistakable rumble

Leaves little to grumble

Stretched out for miles

Passing spectator’s smiles

And thunderous applause

They ride – for a good cause

Once the procession passes by

And their destination they spy

They’ll alit their steeds and partake

In a boisterous party, for the charity’s sake

50/50’s and raffles abound

a band playing the “biker sound”

Food galore all plates to fill

the fare is one- that fits the bill

After the event, at the end of the day

they’ll mount their motorcycles and ride away

Feel a sense of pride for assisting others

That’s the way it is- for riding sisters and brothers!

======================================

Biker Rant #II

Political puppets sit in air-conditioned offices

Dotting I’s and crossing T’s

on the latest report

Preparing manipulated figures behind a snicker

demographic studies so unjust

enough to cause terminal indigestion

to any actuary viewing

But present they must

these embellished falsifications

Answering to jaded apron strings

Justifying the dollar signs on their paycheck

Oh, they sleep well at night

their families protected

but we

their peers, the pillars of the community,

their constituents, their mothers, daughters,

fathers, sons and

business owners have no say,

sleep a light pillow

with no rights

have a one in 15 chance of meeting

DEATH

on the highway

while they covet the truth

protected by pillared cubicles

their lies

protect us with safety equipment

that has failed testing

and it’s for our own good

so they say

Add an extra zero to their salary

Add another zero to our numbers

dying,

you get the picture;

shattered limbs line the streets

and no one cares

most accidents happen within

a mile from home

And ours

are just more likely

the odds stacked against us

Fifteen to one that an uneducated

driver may not pay attention,

not afford us the courtesy,

may pick up a cell phone

whose eyes may leave the road

for one split second;

that’s all it takes

to kill us,

one split second

which can’t be called back

We are not safe

in this war zone controlled

under the label

of the Governor’s Highway Safety Bureau

Where no safety exists

Bloodshed spills into the gutters

where our twisted dying bodies

get thrown to

Their blinders

can’t see

our light of day

Neither can the other 4.25 MILLION

Uneducated

Uncaring

Apathetic

Who travel our thoroughfares

Oblivious

with no safeguards in place

and no one really seems to care

and figureheads turn blind eyes

and deaf ears

to us

We will die

out there

One by one

we are picked off

Guilty of exercising a passion of travel,

Nothing more

No rules broken here

Just no rights

To pursue our happiness

Tunnel vision doesn’t care

It sleeps well at night

safe in the confines

of bureaucracy

But not we

nor our loved ones

Each day we get

a little closer to death

not by our own hand either

By theirs

Our blood will stain their hands

They will wish they heeded the message

Education works

everywhere else

but here

We need a change

and need it fast

Our numbers grow

but diminish daily

by senseless uncalled for ignorance

When will they listen?

When will the bloodshed stop?

When will department heads

take responsibility for their apathy?

When will the truth be known?

When will we be safe?

~*~*~

Postscript……….

Today…..

I really hate to say this

and find it a bit crass…

But if you ride motorcycles

and value your ass

My advise is….

move out of MASS!!

You’ll be a lot safer

On another state’s grass!!

===========================

Biker Rant #III

Venting!! 6/6/01

Safe in the confines of suburbia
Or am I?

When my Queen of the Road
is cut off by cagers
looking the other way
with cellphones
growing out of their ears
attached to an arm
that extends to a hand
that should be firmly placed
on the steering wheel.
GRRRRRR!!!!
I get angry!

That's right,
don't look in THIS direction....
....now.....
accelerate
from your side street
onto main thoroughfare
and on two wheels;
but whatever you do,
DON'T DROP THAT PHONE!!
Hang on that last word
Don't lose the conversation....
oh how important it must be!!

And hey by the way!
Ten points
for taking out the biker!!

Yes, Mary bought a new dress
Sandy had words with her honey
and oh yeah
Gypsy was run off the road!!
Let me call someone and tell them
Right now!!
While I'm driving.....

She was minding her own business
heard she had the right of way
just trying to get to work,
But...
some idiot on a squawk box
took her out
Did you hear?
What will they tell her son,
her family, and friends?
Oh hold on, I got another call coming in....

Idle gossip rules the world
and
NOTHING
is sacred any more

People no longer go to the church
for the wedding
It's not fashionable
to watch a couple exchange vows
But... go to the reception
and partake of the festivities
with phone attachments
replacing earrings
It's the latest rage....
The new wave mania

Gotten to the point
where everyone; even little kids
have phones growing
out of their ears
these days....
I know I'm rambling here
but paying attention
still focused
on the road

Sardine cans
with wheels
all hustling to work
not noticing the gal
on her motorcycle
She's invisible to them
while they're
yakking away on portable
gossip gaggling devises

There oughtta be a law!!

Go ahead, run her off,
she's only a biker anyway
Forget
that she's somebody's mother
A pillar of the community
A businessowner
and homeowner
my neighbor,
my friend.
She's on a bike
and I'm on a phone
in a car
which
has more rights
of the road
than she does!!

Isn't it written that way
in the driver's manual?
Where does it say
that a motorcyclist has the
same rights as I do?

Safe, in the confines of suburbia?
I don't think so

My horn
is not loud enough
Nor is my mouth
They're not startled
or rattled
into putting down
their gossipboxes
They're too engulfed
in idle chat

I'm frustrated!!!
It's a losing battle!!!

Attempts to get
local government
involved
and educate the public
have failed......

I'm doomed in Suburbia
and probably DEAD
in the City
should I choose to ride there

I want government
to hear me...
I want the chatters to drop
their ear apparel,
put both hands on the wheel
and pay attention.
But it isn't gonna happen
anytime soon.
I essentially have
no rights
and will probably die
like my predecessors
out there on the road.....

And
nothing seems safe
or sacred anymore!!

There really ought to be
some changes made!

Hope I live long enough!!

=================================

The Biker's Plight

© by Gypsypashn ---,--'--<{@
10/10/2000

It really gets me riled
When I see data compiled
That isn't fully informative in nature
And demeaning to bikers in stature
We motorcyclists get dealt a lot of bull
Politicians fill their belts so full
And ram it down the throats of us and others
When in reality we're their sisters and brothers
Ne'er in society will you find a group
More willing to help those afflicted recoup
Or those less fortunate to find a way
Asking nothing more than a thank you any day
We give from our hearts and pockets til they've run dry
And the poles slam us over again, and we wonder why?
They'll ask us to escort their innaugaral parade
Then after the festivities our glory will fade
They'll forget about how we supported their personal pride
And step on our rights and our freedom to ride
Our numbers get stronger each and every day
We're their constituents and neighbors, wish they'd see it that way
If they knew how many of us both ride and vote
They'd be sending letters of apology and on us they'd dote
I see this over and over and time again
And wonder when it's all going to end

If you ride and say nothing and aloud do not speak
Then you're as much a part of the problem as the solution we seek

======================

Tick Tock Time
© by Gypsypashn ---,--'--<{@

Tick Tock Time
Rhythm and Rhyme
Each hour
Bellowed chime
Time on the move
We stand still
Another day
We've wasted away
At the bottom of the hill
Time to pack up
And take charge of will
Keep on riding on
Forward still
~*~

Call me out of Thunder
Wrap-style storm my sky
Dip me over the edge
Of a new front page horizon
Strain the silt
that ravages my body
Replace it with your love
~*~
Hold me tight
And
Don't Let Go!

===========

The desert

June 2008

© Gypsypashn~~’~~,~~<{@

Mistress desert though tempting she be

T'is a living hell for riders you see

Ol' man sun scorches the bridge of your nose

There's no place to cool off, no pool, no hose

The heat is relentless triple digits it be

drinking water turns to the temperature of pee

There's no mile markers

No signs of life

No shade

No cell phone reception

You're in fear for your life

There's no gas stations

no cities or towns

just never ending horizons

and barren land abound

What if you break down?

Where from the sun and heat can you hide?
There's no place for shelter

No where to go inside.

No shrubbery for shade

No pilons or bridges
No pink lemonade

No fresh food, no fridges

The heat wears you down

and takes its toll

dampens your spirits

it drains your soul

Winding roads

bring mirages to sight

There seems no end

It trails on into the night

Even bugs can't survive there

no pleasure they take

I'm told though life survives there

but just venomous snakes!

So if you are tempted

To the desert go ride

Be sure to pack plenty

along for the ride!

======================

Where oh where is Spring?

4/24/2003

Oh where oh where is Sping?

Oh where is the warmth it brings?

Instead of out riding

We’re in the house hiding