Artistic Expressions from the Activist Community

The green and distant hills beckon
As we roll along, my friends and I
Cotton ships ply the pale blue ocean
above the silent steads we fly
Our cries of joy carry along on a breeze
which our narrow frames break with ease
Each leaf and butterfly form a distinct memory
As thick Ceders transition to sagebrush only
We roll on through the land o'er hills and streams
See the turf burn magenta under the long late sunbeams
Each day that I ride, keeps me happy and free
Good friends, and a bike; perfect company.

He tried to stay calm and genteel,
But each time that he took to the wheel
He'd scream and he'd curse
As the traffic got worse
Until rage was all that he'd feel

He never stopped to ask why or to think
That we all might be close to the brink
He was truly a twit,
For he cared not a whit
About getting his life back in sync

Then one day from out of the blue,
He flashed on just what he should do--
He'd give up his place
in this asinine race,
And adopt an alternative view.

No more would he just sit and stare
While his car kept on fouling the air
At this moment in time,
With an insight sublime,
He dared to assume his fare share.

He found a new use for his bike
That was kinder by far on his psych.
On his daily commute
He now wears a gym suit,
And can park wherever he'd like.

Though his pace may not seem quite as fast
And his colleagues at first were aghast,
He's managed to cope
And inspire new hope,
For he seldom to work arrives last.

To those too blind yet to see,
He offers advice here for free:
"Don't be a knave
Or petroleum slave,
You still have a choice--
follow me!"

Riley Geary

(Note: The writings in this poem are taken from factual accounts)

Chorus:
Wouldn't it be nice if cars were banned
Trees could grow upon the land
No more smog up in the sky
Let's make it happen by and by

Wouldn't it be great if streets were quiet
No car horns and engines to make a riot
Think of all the time you spend in traffic jams
Wouldn't it be great if they were banned?

Think of all the tax money that you owe
To pay for wild land to be covered up with road
And for hospitals for people hit by cars
Wouldn't it be great if they were barred?

(chorus)

Cars give us jobs, you may say
And they're just the good old American way
But GM doesn't care about American jobs,
They send 'em where they're cheaper, the greedy slobs

Imagine if kids could play without fear
That drivers'll hit them while drinking beer
And if you weren't stuck inside a metal cage
Running people down with your road rage

(chorus)

We're drilling Alaskan wilderness
So gallons can be five cents less
And the Saudi royals got rich quick
And give money to terrorist lunatics

(chorus)

Greenhouse gasses fill the sky
And 40 thousand people a year will be run over and die...
None of these problems would be there
If people had cars that they would share
If buses trains and bikes were everywhere.
This song could go on without any end
Until you realize that your car is not your friend
We're all car addicts, let's just say no,
And then those cars will have to go.

(chorus)

But we can change things, watch and see
(slower) We will have to, eventually
So let's get together, we'll work all day
To make those cars all go away

(last chorus)

Won't it be nice when cars are banned
Trees could grow upon the land
No more smog up in the sky
It's gonna have to happen, by and by.

*refers to Ken Sero-Wiwa
(c) Heather Lev, 2000

As you walk to the driveway where you're storing your truck
I run away from your bumper for fear that I'll soon be struck..
But that’s just perfect for the presidency
You see it’s financed with big dollars from the oil lobby

In the morning and at night we're stuck in our steel cage
Despite dozens of freeways we still get road rage
An we’ve been drivin an parkin so long that,
Even London’s mayor thinks our minds are gone.
We're separated from the land and I think it's a shame
That we cannot smell the flowers cause we're stuck in this lane.
But we ain’t gonna say that we’re sorry to you
We'll just defend our right to consume!

We’ve been spending most our lives
Livin’ in an asphalt paradise
The Hummer sells at discount price
Livin’ in an asphalt paradise
There’s no time for being nice
Livin’ in an asphalt paradise
I must make it through this light
Livin’ in an asphalt paradise

A giant Chevy passed me by while blowin his horn
I just didn’t know what I did to focus his scorn
Sure it was a stop sign that I blew right on through
But I waved as I passed, aint that good enough for you?

I gotta get my kids to school before 8am
If I cut you off, I sure hope that you'll understand
My kids are more important than your trivial life
You just have to see you have no rights

Makin’ monthly payments
Go an' buy some gas
Spendin time in traffic
Makes me feel like an *ss
Now I start to envy all those kids out riding bikes
Cause they look much sexier in tights

There’s never ending subsidies
In the ‘land of the free’
For roadways, gas, and parking
And our poor must pay the fee

We’ve been spending most our lives
Livin’ in an asphalt paradise
We're blinded by our own headlights
Livin’ in an asphalt paradise
There’s no room for kids on bikes
Livin’ in an asphalt paradise
Pretty soon we’ll get surprised,
Livin’ in an asphalt paradise

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