Riding a Bicycle in a Suit of Armor

Riding a bicycle in a suit of armor
is still riding, I tell myself, and better
than some other pursuits -- like climbing
and surfing and love -- that I abandoned 
after simple slips submerged me 
in forces I could not control. 
Now my life is people passing on the left. 
I do not mind. I do not mind. I ...
I keep my helmet visor down and swelter 
in this metal. But I'm safe if I should fall.