Wooden hubs and wooden spokes. Fixed
steel axles. Shrink fitted iron tires. The first
bicycle wheels must have bounced the hell
out of you- I took up cycling a century later-
with my wife. A lot more comfortable.
We bought Great Bike Rides In New England.
Guided rides along the Cape Cod Rail Trail,
Dennis to Wellfleet. The Emerald Necklace,
here in Boston but grew tired of biking. And
each other.
Duchamp’s Bicycle Wheel has always been my
favorite sculpture. Inverted front fork and wheel
attached to the seat of a stool. He liked to make it
spin- So I built one too. Took my bicycle apart,
bolted the assembly with a couple of 1” nuts and
washers to the “Element 24 in. Stool” from Home Depot.
It’s so big, I had to replace my coffee table- I bought
a Noguchi at Design Within Reach. Another modern
icon. Expensive. Why not? I live alone. There’s no one
to complain.
***
Matthew Sisson’s poetry has appeared in journals ranging from the “Harvard Review Online,” to “JAMA The Journal of the American Medical Association.” He has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, and read his work on NPR’s “On Point.” His book, “Please, Call Me Moby,” was published by The Pecan Grove Press, of St. Mary’s University, San Antonio, Texas.
