A post as scheduled. Excitement ensues.

A Windy Workout

The snake overlapped the white line
the hoop it formed not quite closed
a pinched-off U, head to tail
tongue out perpetually tasting
the smells of asphalt
and dried blood.

Up the road a distance
of thirty pedal strokes
or so, a robin's crushed breast
lay accompanied by its wings
in contrast to the dead, grey grass.

I passed by the first time
thinking the yellow-striped
dark green scales
and flattened tongue
belonged to an extension cord
cast out a window
to fend for itself.

The next five times I knew what to look for.
compressed form ahead
not raised and dry
like the other snake
an overlapping knot
folded back on itself
as it arched from the ground
and twisted like a loosening shoelace
gradually working itself free.

I slowly labored past again
struggling into the wind
distracting myself with death
as it slid by in still frame
looped until my legs drained
and limply spun their circles
in ineffective retreat.

Poem:
I did a repetition-based workout on my bike, and the dead wildlife on the side of the road was depressing to bike past every time I was getting ready for another rep. It got so I was looking up the road to pick out the carcasses approaching. And I thought it was interesting that the snake's tongue was sticking out, forked and almost touching the tail. The first dead snake I've seen this year. I guess its a good sign that winter is over. I should work that symbolism into my poem! Especially because it's usually the robin who i s associated with the coming of spring. Interesting. I'll have to play around with that.

Observation:
Oh goodness it was windy today. We did 1-kilometer and 2-kilometer repeats today, and it was fun going with the wind, but the trek back to the starting point was more taxing than a recovery should be. And the fact that we did them to the south of town meant that we had to bike back into the headwind. Which wouldn't have been a problem had I been able to convince my legs to do anything more than just stomp downward. But I got back eventually. And the only good thing about the wind was that I got to bike a good part of the way with the smell of pasta in my nose, since this time the wind was so strong the Barilla pasta plant miles away was making itself known. So I guess the only real observation I made today was that it was too windy for any practical purposes. Unless you consider being able to smell pasta a practical purpose. I don't know.

Exercise:
Happy endings can sometimes be, well...boring. No zing. So predictable. So...happy. Write your ending to the Cinderella story -- but this time, make it so that the shoe fit one of the icky sisters. What does Prince Charming do? How does Cinderella cope with it? And what about the Fairy Godmother? Start your story here.

Prince Charming beamed up at the girl he was sure was the love of his life. "Drizella, my darling, it's you after all. I'm so glad I've found you."
From the basement came a muffled squeak, followed by a thump. Drizella's mother glanced around before smiling thinly. "I'm afraid our maid is a bit clumsy, always falling off things or down stairs. I'll go see what she's done this time." She swept out of the room, her crimson dress whisking behind her. The prince noted that the maid must not be so bad. An exit like that would have been accompanied by a small cloud of dust even at the castle. Then he noticed a mouse bidding a hasty retreat around the corner and reevaluated. The mother entered again, an expression of concern pulling her eyebrows together.
"So you've decided then? You're to marry Drizella? This is wonderful news. I'll start packing our things immediately. There is room at the castle for all of us, yes? I mean, it's such a big place."
He honestly hadn't ever thought about this contingency. His parents had always told him he'd find a girl from a neighboring kingdom, and no other king and queen would have cause to leave their castle to move to his place of residence with their daughter. But it was only natural that Drizella's mother would wish to accompany her daughter. There were so many arrangements to be made. He sighed. Who would have known that finding his true love was only the beginning of the work?

Me:
I found a blue steak knife on the road the other day coming back from a bike ride. That's not really all that relevant; it's just something that happened. Oh, and my thoughtful girlfriend bought lactose free milk yesterday so that I could enjoy cookies more thoroughly/less uncomfortably. I think it's important to state that people who criticize this stuff are probably justified. If you expect it to taste just like milk, you may be disappointed. It's not too far off, but milk is a pretty well-known substance, and small differences stand out. But it doesn't taste bad to me. It's not quite milk, but it's not bad either. And it goes with the same things milk does. And most importantly, my stomach hasn't attempted to expel my entire interior as a result of my drinking it. So it's all good.