A Cycling Poem to Mark the Start of the Tour de France 2017

Hello, a poem I wrote a few years ago about the struggles of a cyclist. Enjoy and feel the burn!

Illegal Restraint

I am not a criminal,
Yet something acts as though I am,
Plying its trade extra-judicially,

The fields of grass and flags atop their poles,
They point accusingly in my direction,
Controlled by an unseen force,

My getaway greatly impeded,
As invisible hands try to hold me back,
This adversary vexingly unrelenting,

My legs burn in their slow revolutions,
As if climbing a mountain though the land is flat,
My heart races and breath quickens,

It seems all around me,
My ears roar with the voice of my antagonist,
All remonstrations prove futile,

Time seems to pass as slowly as the landscape,
My escape agonizingly prolonged,
The task seemingly Sisyphean,

Leave me alone,
I’ve done nothing wrong,
You have no right to hinder me so,

I would like to turn the tables,
For it is you who is guilty,
Illegal restraint I charge you with,

Wanted for crimes against cyclists,
HEADWIND

February 2012 Published in Mahidol University's Hitherto Journal