'L' trains trundle
Over rickety rails -
Menacing monsters
Terrorising the
City's streets

Highways heave through
The heart of the city -
Drop any plans to ponder
On the platforms
Positioned between its lanes

Cars make meals of
Metal bridges,
Blasting music over
Meandering motorbikes

Peace in city parks
Proves fleeting -
Screech of the cicadas
Periodically piercing
Precious silence

Head hits pillow,
Hubbub fades
But how long before
Sirens wail once again?

Frayed edges present soft fibres
Wicks in waiting
Until a trickle reaches out
To meet them

The sun reaches in to kiss my skin
When I lean out to greet it

Limbs press in all directions
Saving me from falling

The trees whisper amongst themselves
Painting their shadows on roofs below

I pull the air over my shoulders
Dissolving into the afternoon

The shock of the old
Cause and effect

Encounter the art of stillness,
Trust exercise

Another world is possible -
You must see before you die

Everyday legends,
A job to love,
Architecture to make you smile,
The restaurant at the end of the universe

Two butterflies fluttered, at first, alone
Though soon to be together blown
Into a single stream of wind
Theirs, to rise and tumble in

**** you, virus; all dripping nose, spluttering cough, nasty rash and sensitive nerves. **** you lack of sleep, eyelids drooping. **** you forgotten helmets and punctured tyres. **** you bitter cold night, and neverending space and time. **** you Canary Wharf, with your windy streets and unfriendly rules. **** you to missed signs, leading to wasted miles and wrong turns. And **** you London roads - every lump, **** and bump.

But thanks to caring friends, generous donators and 4,000 fellow do-gooders. Thanks to a bike that is well oiled and shifting smoothly. Thanks to free cycle surgeries, to 'Spicy Bikers' crisps, and an early dawn. Thanks to stunning landscapes and landmark buildings. Thanks to high-fives and whoops from strangers. And thanks especially to Luke, with his hot thermos of coffee at 4.30am.

Another 25km still to go...

O' what joy
To complete a task
In one glorious fell swoop
Without follow-up call,
Repeat visit,
Or returns label