Continuation of the theme from a previous work Bus Stop in Life |
“Transition to Somewhere” The stop was crowded with people All set to go somewhere The whole place was busy, yet empty somehow Vacant stares dominated the crowd Minds were dull, focused elsewhere I sat down for a while, to wonder Why was it I had left the bus This I pondered for a while It seemed the bus had more left me Than had I left it Closer thought revealed things I disliked Probably the passengers had taken no notice Yes, the driver seemed totally oblivious to me Brusque and curt at times, when I approached. Probably the passengers could not care Despite the noisy chatter within, The riders had not real words for each other No meaning was exchanged Just there to ride life out, to burn energy Spinning their wheels The driver’s last exchange was taut “Your stop is here, time to get off” I protested to no avail I so wanted to stay Yet I found myself in the stop, alone I looked up after what seemed years Something had caught my eye Drawn my interest What was that…. My eye captured and held yours as you walked to me You sat and as if we had been there before We fell in easy intimate conversation More than friends, perhaps less than lovers Dancing with words, caressing with thoughts I closed my eyes for but a second and you disappeared I blinked and you were there, no… over there I followed each time to a new bench Where we touched minds Thoughts linked It became clear your heart belonged not to me But another lucky soul who cared not Who could not return the full measure of you Who would not love you back And you despaired Each time we met my passion grew stronger More futile, more empty Imagine if you will……. How impossible to love one Who loves another and sees you not One who cries out for help from you, Demandingly, searingly And then runs away Only to repeat and repeat The pattern again and again and again Dreading and hating each moment together Unable to deny the time, Each second was craved, desired, hungered for Like heroin to me Oh dear reader, I tried to pull away But there was no exit from the stop No tickets to buy, no pills to pop Only the joyous pain of ignorance, Closeness and the grey concrete walls Surrounding each bench I cannot say how long I spent at that stop When yesterday, a bus rolled in You were not there You had left already, For your deserved place in the sun I found a ticket somewhere and climbed aboard Sat down and looked around at all the gray little faces Who looked out at featureless places they knew not And could not care where they ended up My tears finally brimmed over and spilled My spent passion from my soul Leaving me empty, a cornhusk wrapper No substance at all The bus squeaked to a stop outside a tiny platform I looked out from my reverie and was startled to hear The driver say “This is where you get off” directly to me My heart quailed as I stepped down To the next bus stop in my life |