Bicycles and Freedom

Yesterday was an awesome day of bicycles!

My good friends Anna and Ron cycled with me

We cycled along the stretch of Sæbraut

It was heavenly! We were free!

It was funny in the beginning

I didn’t plan to cycle

I came with Anna and Ron to the shop

They both bought new bicycles! Beautiful ones!

I thought I would cycle with them and had a plan

I went home to get my brother’s bicycle

But clumsy me locked it last time

And yes, as always, I lost the freaking key!

So my plan was to cut the lock

It wasn’t easy but I tried

I’m very, very stubborn

So I went to get my stepfather’s pliers!

I went downstairs with tiny pliers in my hand

Enjoying the rupture of the stupid lock

It wasn’t easy, the plastic covering was hard

But it was only the beginning

There’s tight interwoven wires inside!

When I finally reached the interwoven wires

My stepdad’s pliers can not breach it anymore!

It was really tight, I tried and I tried

But really, it was very strong and tight!

But I didn’t give up

I went inside and took my lighter

I used my little fire

To somehow melt the wire to make it softer.

It was chilly then but very sunny

I tried and I tried like a little child

I feel like it’s working

But dang! The wires are still united!

So I did a drastic move

I went to my neighbour to borrow their HUGE pliers

It’s klippur in Icelandic

I just really had to do it.

I remembered once I borrowed it

When I was fixing our garden

That’s why I knew they had it

And went to their place to borrow it.

My adult neighbour wasn’t there 

So I talked to the little girl

Interrupted her joyous moment of sun

But she’s very nice like any Icelander.

She had to call her dad

And finally she lent them to me

I was like, YES, I’m SO good!

Then I went again to that stupid lock!

I thought it was really going to be easy

For the pliers I got was huge

In fact, it wasn’t that easy

But slowly I was rupturing the wires.

With power I reduced their tightness

They were not that united anymore

I used my power = work * time

Thanks to this powerful pliers in my hands.

When the wires were not that united anymore

I used my stepdad’s little pliers again

Little by little I cut the wires

Until I cut ALL of them for FREEDOM!

I was very, very happy!

I was too excited to go back to Anna and Ron

That I forgot my helmet!

I was going to go back

But thought, well, whatever it’s Iceland!

It was a risk that I took

But quite a worthwhile one

When I came to the shop

They were with four other Filipinos!

They came from the ship that landed that morning

And they were going to leave again by afternoon

But they needed really to do something

That was to send money to their children abroad.

See, Filipinos go all over the world

Not really for themselves but for their family back home.

My mother was the same

Until she managed to take us here.

So yes, before I get emotional

These four Filipinos had some favour to ask

They couldn’t send their hard-earned money

To their children for their education.

So, what Anna and I did

As we are both Icelandic citizens

Tried to ask whether it was possible

For us to send under our names.

The bank teller so nice and so warm

Had to talk to her superior

With all their desire to help

They couldn’t because of the rules.

The rules that applied after the economic crisis

Back in 2008

So they are stricter now

These free Icelandic people.

So what we did, us Filipinos

We decided to go to another bank

These four Filipinos took the cab

While Anna and Ron and I took our bikes outside!

We cycled across the stretch of Sæbraut

Until we all met again in Borgartún

Thankfully they were not as strict

So we managed to put a smile of relief on their faces.

We, too, managed to smile

With our hearts so warm, so nice

We managed to acquire four friends

In just that moment of that beautiful day!

Things like this bring out the angels in us

We are all little angels inside!

But if we choose the other side

We can also be on the other side.

Now, this poem of my day yesterday

Means a lot for me

If you see the metaphors it carries

You are bound to be free!