Last winter when I was still commuting to and from work in the dark, I ended up dealing with more snow & ice on the trail than I was expecting, which made for a sketchy ride.
To help calm me down after a stressful ride, I wrote a mimic poem of Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost:
Praying by Slough on a Snow Covered Trail
When warm this trail is a fast go,
So diff’rent when covered in snow.
Squeezing the bars, eyes keep scanning,
This commute is running quite slow.
An empty trail had me smiling:
“A dark ride alone? Exciting!”
Then I hit a snow patch and knew
Why no one else was out riding.
I’ve always loved to bike the slough:
speed, views, and socializing too.
But “keeping the rubber side down”
Is now all I’m trying to do.
The roads have cars racing around,
But a small shoulder can be found.
So trail I say “see you around”,
And slip-slide off, for solid ground.