http://spillwords.com/author/phyllispcolucci/
https://www.amazon.com/Phyllis-P.-Colucci/e/B00VMU8B44
“A New York State of…”
The clanging of Citibikes
Docking at relentless bike stations
that seem to welcome their vehicular transports back home
as if they have just returned from war
Sounds like bombs going off
Casualties of war
Sounds like gunshots being fired
Casualties of the big city
Cannot sleep! Cannot hear ourselves speak!
Cannot enjoy a good movie in our living rooms!
Must endure the jolting sounds
that vibrate inside our hearts
Startling us with no remorse
as we recover from near fatal heart palpitations
Unfair we say! Screw you, they say!
We remain in a New York state of Noise!
We remain in a New York state of Chaos!
We remain in a New York state of…
No one cares! No one listens!
“Cannot fight City Hall” they say
…so true, because our screams have not been heard
We tried, but they ignore all of us
It’s been several years now
And those metal structures have won
along with the Powers that Be!
They have taken over parking spaces
They have created danger zones
as drivers pull out of those spaces
while bikers roll right on through
risking getting hit by a car
without a care in the world
The bikers blame careful drivers
cursing them out for getting in their way
while the City protects the bikers,
holding drivers liable
giving bikers “carte blanche” on our streets
Unfair we say! Screw you, they say!
We remain in a New York state of Noise!
We remain in a New York state of Chaos!
We remain in a New York state of…
Annoyed cab drivers try hard to smile
Forewarned never to idle in the bike lanes
to pick up their “fares”
What are they to do?
They park on the nearest street corner…OMG!
Heartbreaking to watch the elders walk to corners
Limping with canes to catch their cabs
Slip-sliding on icy sidewalks in the dead of winter
Praying they do not fall and break a bone
These bike stations have teased delivery trucks
who once had a path to our homes
but now must navigate around these bike stations
to deliver packages, furniture and the like
A real circus act…Really…I have seen it
Oh Yes! The Department of Sanitation grins and bears it too…
They simply dance around the bikes and through the bike stations
with bags of garbage in hand, from house to truck, and vice versa,
gyrating in between each bike;
So amusing to watch from our windows
Get the popcorn!
Unfair we say! Screw you, they say!
We remain in a New York state of Noise!
We remain in a New York state of Chaos!
We remain in a New York state of…
The NYPD, FDNY, EMS
have lost immediate access from the streets to our front doors
as these mean old bikes laugh out loud in contentment
while those in need sit helplessly in tears
And these bike stations are filled with garbage…
Coffee cups, soda bottles, old rags,
raunchy used-up masks, and construction debris
Discarded food items are left for the “rat” brigade
Citibike workers come by on occasion to clean it all up
They push a lot of it to the middle of the street
or to the front or back of the bike station
Typical solution from our once great City!
What are we to do?
Absolutely nothing!
We tried…but no one listens…no one cares
Unfair we say! Screw you, they say!
We remain in a New York state of Noise!
We remain in a New York state of Chaos!
We remain in a New York state of…
This is New York City, and people have no say
Some of the people anyway…
If you are NOT a Liberal or a Democrat
If you are not part of the far-left movement
Then shut up! Remain silent!
There will be no compromising on the issue
No representation for you “Conservatives”…
Just Noise! Noise! Noise!
that only the “victimized” can hear
Just Chaos! Chaos! Chaos!
that only the “victimized” can see
The “Others” are ecstatic
They say it is just like in “Europe”
A Bicycle Eutopia
Unfair we say! Screw you, they say!
We remain in a New York state of Noise!
We remain in a New York state of Chaos!
We remain in a New York state of…
I ask, why don’t you try living with the high-level of decibels
from the noise pollution at these bike stations every day?
This time in front of your homes,
bouncing off your eardrums,
startling you to the core,
my Dearest Bikers and Politicians!
Then tell me all about your “Utopia”
Your false sense of delight you bask in
…Relocate these belligerent bike stations
to non-residential areas
In front of schools, parks or libraries
In front of stores, nearby subway stations and factories
That will be “our” Eutopia!
- As everyone wins!
It’s been a while since our eardrums were at rest
It’s been a while since our hearts were calm
It’s been a while since we slept in peace…
Yes, you cannot fight City Hall
Unfair we say! Screw you, they say!
We remain in a New York state of Noise!
We remain in a New York state of Chaos!
We remain in a New York state of…
We just remain!
