Michael Henry

Rambling Existential Questions, Inspired by a Bike Show and The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

I really want to go to the North American Handmade Bike Show here in Denver this weekend, but then again, I’m not in the market for a new, handmade bike made of bamboo, ash, titanium, vibranium, or compressed coffee grounds. Plus, it’s $20 bucks just to get in! (That bothers me. I wish it didn’t.Continue reading “Rambling Existential Questions, Inspired by a Bike Show and The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”

Finding the Line

I’m a poet and a rider, and the connections between the two activities are myriad. I enjoy discovering new links all the time. So when I saw this video, the concept of line came to me. The correct line that takes you along the trail (or in this case through the crazy hill town), andContinue reading “Finding the Line”

All I want for Christmas

What do I want for Christmas? That’s easy. World peace. And then, I would really, really like a fatbike. One like this: (from gearjunkie.com) A few weeks ago, while I was shouldering my mud-clogged mountain bike over a particularly muddy section of trail, a dude came rolling by on one of these. It seemed asContinue reading “All I want for Christmas”

Surviving the Cold

Finally it seems as if winter is here, and while I’m a bit bummed about the frigid air outside and the brutally dry air inside, I’m a bit relieved. After all, this summer seemed, well, apocalyptic in its heat, and in the fires that raged all over the state. Riding can still be had–snow isContinue reading “Surviving the Cold”

Postcards From November

I wish postcards were still a part of our written culture. There’s something whimsical and nostalgic about them, something poetic in their paucity of words and dependence on images, and the fact that they are both private and public in their message. (An aside: I remember, a long time ago, buying a postcard that hadContinue reading “Postcards From November”

The Armstrong Affair

As a long-time rider—almost 15 years now, how did that happen?—I love watching the Tour de France each July, which, naturally, has made me a huge fan of Lance Armstrong. After all that’s happened recently, It’s safe to say that Lance has had a pretty lousy month, and I’m saddened by it—all of it—and feelContinue reading “The Armstrong Affair”

In Memoriam

I know this about myself: I am obsessed with death. As I was saying to some writer-friends earlier this summer, aren’t all writers obsessed with death? It is, after all, the complete and final denouement to all stories—the story of our character’s lives, own lives, and the lives of those who’ve gone before us. IContinue reading “In Memoriam”

Chains

Yesterday, while riding up a trail called Mayhem Gulch at Centennial Cone (great names, aren’t they?—but that’s another story), I think I (brilliantly, amazingly) developed a new kind of essay: a chain. Riding is good for such deep, creative musing. Anyway, a chain essay is a linked series (duh), connected by an idea, image, orContinue reading “Chains”