Bus Stop in Rain
Everybody believes the bus is coming because the sign says so.
WHY IS THIS IN THE FILE?
Nobody took responsibility quickly enough.
six of us
under a shelter
built for four
the rain enters sideways
with management approval
a teenager watches
the little bus icon
move across his phone
two minutes
then four
then arriving
then nothing
an old woman says
they do that
as if buses
have personalities
as if one of them
looked at our wet shoes
and changed its mind
a man in scrubs
laughs once
not because it is funny
because otherwise
he will have to say
what time his shift began
the icon disappears
the rain does not
we move closer together
six strangers
briefly organized
by public transportation
failing to arrive
Ellis Crowe
Poet and field recorder of buses, readings, waiting rooms, bad microphones, and other public situations that outlive their dignity.
STATUS: UNRULY
“Normal” was considered and rejected.
KNOWN ASSOCIATES: readers, loiterers, people who should know better.
PUSH THE WEIRD BUTTON
A clerk has been notified. They are furious.