From the Library: Cyclettes

Cyclettes i have decided are small glimpses, small incidents remembered and retold. Small is key, right? Small is the whole point of the "ettes." Cyclettes was the lone cycling-related book i found at this years' Festival of Books. I also decided that the choice to depict a wandering path for the front cover is apropos, as the cyclettes contained within do follow a winding path. However, they are also linear in the sense of a progression through time. I certainly would not call this a story, nor even a collection of short stories. These are more like brief, quick flashes, thoughts from one persons' life as it revolves around bicycles. Truth is, i am not so sure i really liked it at first, the writings seemed rather disjointed, and i found myself searching for someway to relate. Gradually, though, i began to see points of connection, and began to appreciate this other persons perspective, the uniqueness of her relationship with the bicycle and the ways in which that familiar machine has impacted, shaped, improved her life. Plus, there are some quite good quotes in it: 

"... the more I travel, the more I discover that wonder doesn't manifest the same way twice. On the one hand, this idea can make me panic because I am a wonder addict. I want to bottle up that wonder and keep it near enough to stay hydrated. Wonder drought might be my greatest fear, to venture to a reliable well only to find it's run dry and not know what of myself or the world to believe in. On the other hand, the more I travel the more I suspect wonder is bottomless, only the circumstances of its procurement remain a mystery."

 

"Maps inherently skew toward the cartographers, what they know of the world, what they deem important. This puny outline of reality is amplified by GPS technology, which centers the map on the individual's  origin to destination, eliminating chance wandering, loss of time or self. It seems this is modern society's ethos: egocentricity. and efficiency in all matters from the professional to the metaphysical. I am culturally predisposed to orientate. But I deviate. I prefer medieval mappae mundi that fill their unknown spaces with the wondrous, outlandish, and imaginary. I am a pilgrim not yet settled on her sacred place(s)."

Abraham, Tree   Cyclettes   Los Angeles, CA: The Unnamed Press, 2022