Thin moon rising
In the east
As I ride my bike
Round and round
The rectangle of streets
In DC I use as a track
To maintain and build
My strength.

The eastern sky lightens
As the sun makes its way
Toward and up from the horizon.

Birds sing, walkers
And dog-walkers walk,
The pedal pushing gets harder
As I do my hour-long workout.

On my way back to home base,
A gift:
A mockingbird starts to sing
As I move under its tree perch;
I stop, look up, listen and appreciate
This gift of the natural world
To a tired but grateful traveler.

-April 15, 2015