Travel Poetry
Cycling The Rio Bravo — South Shore
A cycling exploration of the United States-Mexico border
I am on a dirt road serving
as the last track in Mexico before crossing.
The United States beyond the wall.
Pillars of a freeway,
a linking bridge levitates.
There is a creek and a fence to the north
as I cycle back to the race’ starting point.
The creek is the Rio Grande or Bravo —
Beyond it, barbed-wired barricades.
Numbness and heaviness invade my legs,
electrolytes are leaving my muscles,
stolen by the heat of every pedal stroke,
lassitude lures me to look for shade.
Call me blind. I do not see.
The Bravo — is now reduced to a creek,
embanked,
by inclined concrete esplanades —
The river refuses to die.
Border Patrol trucks and military tanks (*)
guard dirty water and tall green grass.
There are signs in Spanish warning passersby,
Of snakes and strong currents hiding beyond the shores:
Do not attempt to swim!
I rest from cycling the Grande/Bravo embankment.
Black-necked stilts,
fly nearby,
unencumbered.
From the U.S.,
I hear machinery moving soil,
perhaps working to build a proper wall,
so tall El Paso won’t see Juarez.
I hide from the sun under a Palo Verde tree
with spines-like needles sprouting from its limbs,
the sharpness of shade can puncture my tires.
Two kilometers to go.
On the Mexican side,
I hear the sound of cars driving Avenida Perez Serna.
And bicycle freehubs
spinning freely.
2025. Thank you for reading.
(*) In 2023, U.S. military humvees were patrolling the U.S. border side alongside the Border Patrol. However, humvee does not rhyme with truck.
October 2024 was my third entry in the Chupacabras 100 km mountain bike race. It is a challenging race in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Much of this race appeal is riding about eighty kilometers of pure single track, testing the cyclist’s skills. I also find riding along the United States-Mexico border fascinating.
When we hear about the border on the news, it seems as if hoards of people would be pressing against the wall to attempt to overthrow it. However, this does not seem to be the case, at least not in the confluence of El Paso and Ciudad Juarez.
In 2024, I did not complete the race due to poor training. I turned myself around, completing only 40 miles/65 km. To return to the start line, we rode over a service road (part of the racecourse) on the Mexican side of the border over the embankment of the Rio Bravo/Grande. In Mexico, people don’t seem to care the United States is on the other side.
