Notes About The Poem
Published in "Wilderness" anthology
(Korea) 2010
Slice of Life
The bus station is empty,
three hours to wait.
The girl behind the counter,
long black hair hanging in ringlets,
stares lazily as we approach.
"May I help you?"
The homeless man wanders in slowly,
takes a seat on the opposite
side of the room, facing the wall-
escapes through sleep.
Hours pass; would be travelers trickle in.
An addicted people-watcher,
I observe, intrigued.
A young couple; hands joined,
hug, touch, smile. The girl
constantly moves, poses,
her curves displayed
by form-fitting fashion.
A tall man; work roughened hands,
weathered cowboy boots, one tote bag,
and a look of determined purpose.
A tiny black woman holds herself erect,
steps briskly. Hand-knitted hat
covers gray hair. Spike heels
augment her height and full-length red coat.
A young white man;
two silver rings in his eyebrow,
wearing a black leather jacket,
faded [slightly dirty]jeans and flip-flops
asks, Who won? and laments
that he is too young to vote.
A woman of indeterminate age;
orange bleached hair,
clothes bedecked with glitter,
talks in a loud, rough voice.
Does her manner mask
a vulnerable heart?
As departure time approaches;
the ticket line grows long,
the empty metal benches fill,
groups stand near the door-
luggage piled at their feet.
I watch, knowing that I will not
pass this way again, and muse:
There's a life story for each one,
a book which may never be written.
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