While waiting for the bus
Another 15 minutes until the next
bus 162.
I thought it might be a good time
to practice a little mindful
meditation
but found the air too heavy
to breathe,
with all the carbon char and tarmac dust.
The man next to me burped
up Bolognese gas; he paced
back and forth, behind me;
it bugged me
that he kept appearing
and vanishing
from my cone of sight,
sighing
when I turned around,
he'd stop and look down at his watch.
Two sweat-soaked dark shirt
men were chatting, Thai
by the sound of their accent;
sometimes, I wish everyone
around me
would speak in foreign tongues (
sometimes I hate to eavesdrop
on opinions and prejudices
but I do
) sitting behind them, a young man,
in t-shirt, shorts and white flip flops
displayed a leg-shaking habit, eyes
fix-focused on an open book;
he was reading Ludlum --
the title, I didn't catch (the cover
turned too far forward to see),
couldn't; I would have
been interested to know,
a book lover like me.
Friday, April 13, 2012
NaPoWriMo #13: Encounters at a bus-stop
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9 comments:
Very cool. I people watch (eavesdrop on conversations) all the time. I actually love it when I get in there after a conversation is halfway through, so it's like a game trying to build a story together from only the partial bit of dialog. Really like the way you set this up, from observations you built your own mystery- love the references to language, strange lurkers and dark sweat soaked shirts- very nice character sketches. Thanks
Very clever. Wonderful sketches. k.
I love the gentle way in which you vent your irritation.
Just read a quote somewhere from I forget who:
"It's not that I hate people, but I feel so much better without them" :-)
you're such a kaypoh. :D
an interesting and fun read. keen observations, as usual.
ha nice...i like Ludlum a lot...no wonder his legs were shaking...smiles... i like how you capture the moment at the bus stop, mingling the outside with your own emotions.. and yep - sometimes i wish the folks around me would speak in foreign tongues as well..smiles
smiles...i def like this...i love people watching on mass transit...though you def get all kinda and hte bolognese breath is a bit too close...smiles....
Fred, K, Aprille, dsnake, Claudia and Brian: thanks for the comments and feedback. Glad you guys like it.
And kinda glad I missed that bus, else I would've have had nothing to write about. Phew. ;)
Aprille: I'm kinda like that, I prefer it if they are not all crowded at one spot where I happen to be.
dsnake: sometimes it's fun to eavesdrop and then... sometimes one hears something that makes one relate to the meme "I don't want to live on this planet anymore."
I used to take a bus everyday in high school to get to my job across town. I had to travel through the worst and busiest part of town to get there. Some days I was propositioned! I really hate to admit it but I took to using sign language when people who frightened me spoke to me so that I wouldn't have to engage them in conversation. Bibliophiles are always good bus companions :).
Anna: They are quiet and they just read their books. =) That's a good tactic you have -- I'd probably just give repeated one word answers, but it's better not to even say anything at all. There'll be nothing for them to go on.
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