Eyes straight ahead
looking at no one
she brushes past your knees
searching for that elusive, empty seat
while the air that follows her is
cumin and cornmeal and apples
With a scarf low on her forehead
the woman across the aisle
smiles at you
and speaks to her companion
with lyrical words you don't understand
What do you dream of, beautiful man,
sitting upright
in your few square feet of space,
your unread book open on your lap
as the morning overtakes you
in the babble of headphones?
It is September now
the month of yellows and oranges
umbrellas and warm rain
slow traffic lights
and the voices of children
thoughts of bonfires, unformed poetry
and her...
Bus Ride
~ Fox
Author notes
Free verse poem.
Image: Just Off the Bus
Original painting by artist John K. Harrell
A contest entry
- delineate with words by ellipsist.
300 points, ended September 24, 2008, 5 entries
Silver trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Please tell me what you think
Comments
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Anyone who can get all that from a bus ride must have a pretty amazing eye for all those things other people don't see! Your voice was so peaceful, so calm that, when I finished reading, I had to close my eyes to enjoy those images you gave me - especially in the last stanza which was simply outstanding. A beautiful poem.
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Yeah brilliant
I saw a movie better than anything in a while in your few words, and I needed it! Thank you!
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very tactile - i feel as though i am on the bus - i can almost smell the cumin and apples and cornmeal- the scene is familiar and exotic - kind of inviting and foreboding... interesting effect you've achieved...
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