WHO WAS SHANE?

shane worked at selly oak cycles
next to birmingham & solihull connexions
shane passed away on may 26th 2006
so the sign on the door says
shane smiles out from a framed photograph on the wall
looking vigorous and indestructible
shane worked among the grease and the grime
of the small shop he owned and ran with with brother
open monday to saturday
closed on wednesdays
spanners and allen keys were the tools of shane's trade
his fingers got into tight spaces
detaching chains and adjusting brakes
replacing inner tubes and pumping up tyres
shane was always honest about what needed doing
and always charged customers a fair price
unlike the cowboys
who thought nothing of ripping off their punters
left, right and centre
who undercut his prices and starved him of income
and the out-of-own supermarkets
who piled the bikes high and sold em cheap
whether they worked or not
shane once fixed the gears
of the tall, angular, well-spoken chap in tight cycle shorts
standing by the counter
shane rode a dawes galaxy worth 1700 squid
with click gears and brakes that worked in syncronicity
shane was graham's big brother
shane was paul's elder son
shane was just 27 years old when he died
shane's life ended in st mary's hospice
round the corner in raddlebarn road
shane's dad is still bitter about how it happened
he still can't accept it
the hospital staff told shane's family to bring in his clothes
his mum and dad and brother assumed shane would soon be going home
but it was not to be
shane passed away without ever putting on his clothes
shane died of a brain tumour
but his memory
his workshop
his cycle maintainance skills
and his ethics
live on