Every morning,
I wake,
I shower,
I eat,
I brush.
I descend 51 floors,
quickly,
my ears pop.
“Joe san”
“Joe san”
“Joe san”
I greet the guards as I pass.
I descend two more floors.
I step out in the bustling road,
the cool wind blows me along.
I enter the dark bus terminal
I stand,
I wait.
I read
pages turn,
my eyes move quickly.
I smile.
DOOT
I swipe my card.
I step on the bus.
Bus driver 1:
A grin filling his face,
aged from daily smiles
greeting every passenger
with a never ending stream of
Joe San, Joe San, Joe san, joe san, joe san
He chatters to the regular passengers,
in Cantonese,
I listen
imagining the topics of conversations.
The bus fills with laughter,
This makes me ready for a
good day.
Bus driver #2
A stern face,
a silent nod,
passengers bustle on,
the engine turns,
the music blares.
A Chinese Western tune fills the air,
feet tap along,
I chuckle.
This makes me ready for a
good day.
Bus Driver #3
A cap turned backwards,
a hurried ‘joe san’,
a dash to the toilet
or a quick wash of the bus.
a race out of the terminal,
accelerated turns,
harsh breaking for new passengers.
An illegal stop
directly in front of my school,
just for me.
This makes me ready for
a good day.
The simplicity, the beauty of your carefully chosen words. I felt like I was jumping on and off each bus with you. Love the come-back line, “This makes me ready for a good day.” Awesome perspective :).
You made me remember bus #220 that I took from my apartment to the university when I lived in Taipei. I loved making stories of the people I saw on the bus. Maybe a post later….
So intelligently written!! You are gifted. I enjoyed reading it because of your talent and the beautiful detail.
Your post makes me excited to start my life in a foreign country! I will be moving to Panama in July!
good luck on your adventure to Panama. Moving overseas is the best choice I have made.
I love your short lines, it conveys the pace of your daily commute. Having experienced part of it with you, it makes it easier for me to imagine. I love the way you described the bus drivers’ personalities; you used very few words, yet I feel like I know them!