Sharing the Trail

Sharing the Trail Jim Tilley (bio) For the poor Manhattan pedestrianin the news, the hazards of livingshould not have included his stepping offa curb into a crosswalk at a green lightand feeling his legs crushed by a busrunning a red. Mere rules of the road. Less dangerous here on the Capeis counting on the courtesy of a spoken"on your left" or "on your right"as a cyclist blows by from behind,then having someone not utter a warning,earbuds planted securely so he couldlisten to music instead. Rules of etiquette. So, it might have been poetic justicewhen a rider was forced off the trailand cracked his head against a pine,abandoning his bicycle after it piercedthe tree. Or just a local resident'slighthearted reminder, expressed in anodd piece of eco art, smack in your facewhen you pass by, pedaling or on foot. [End Page 179] Jim Tilley jim tilley has published three full-length collections of poetry and a novel with Red Hen Press. His short memoir, The Elegant Solution, was published as a Ploughshares Solo. His next poetry collection, Ripples in the Fabric of the Universe: New & Selected Poems, will be published in June 2024.