Bus Ride

I glance at my watch, Shake my head at the hands, And count silver cars While I patiently stand. Three minutes, Five minutes, Ten minutes late. Time ticks away, And still I must wait. Traffic flows by Like an ocean of steel, Pausing at times - Liquid automobiles. I laugh to myself: Who would have presumed? Environmentalists Forced to inhale the fumes! It comes into view: The great whale of this sea. It sprays its exhaust - Remorseless, it seems. An eager step forth - But its presence misleads. My sigh is a cloud. "Out of service," it reads. Minutes tick by, Till its cousin arrives And opens its doors To admit our grim line. We pack ourselves in, Like sardines in a can. No free seat in sight - So we awkwardly stand. By the time I can see My stop up ahead, I'm an hour behind And my feet feel like lead. I push my way off, As if freed from a jail. Now I know Ahab's pain - To be wronged by a whale.