“A greeting that not only gives great pleasure but illuminates our lives – like a message in a bottle”—Robert McCrum, writer and editor

“Ten Poems about Bicycles” is a title in the “Instead of a Card” series, based on the idea that sending a greeting card is a lovely gesture, and sending a booklet of poetry an even more meaningful one.

This much-loved mini anthology of bicycle poems takes us along the highways and byways of cycling lore, from a freewheeling nun relishing the exhilaration of being on a bike on a hot summer’s day to a young man cycling in his brand-new soldier’s uniform at the start of World War One.

In a captivating poem about young love, a girl is waiting to meet a boy whose bicycle seems to encapsulate his glamour:

He rides

A bicycle that glitters like

The wind.

from “Girl, Boy, Flower, Bicycle” by MK Joseph

Poignant, humorous, and unexpected by turn, these poems will delight anyone who loves cycling – as well as those who just like to remember those carefree days when falling off didn’t seem to matter.

Each pamphlet is gorgeous both inside and out, beautifully produced with a cardstock cover, Ex Libris bookplate, and a bookmark gift enclosure with space for an inscription to the recipient.

With a cover created by leading contemporary artists and poems hand-picked to speak to every kind of reader, each “Instead of a Card” title offers a richly rewarding reading journey. Produced using biodegradable and sustainable materials.

Poems by Connie Bensley, James Roderick Burns, Jonathan Davidson, Michael Donaghy, Jonathan Edwards, Jacqueline Gabbitas, MK Joseph, Derek Mahon, Paul McLoughlin, and Helena Nelson.

Dimensions 5.5” x 8.25”; 13 pages