Bus
If I were a bus
I wouldn’t charge a fare
For the fee of just a smile
I’d take you anywhere.
If I were a bus
I’d replace ‘no smoking’ signs
With signs that said be groovy;
I’d do away with fines.
If I were a bus, sure,
I might run a little late
But wouldn’t stop to routes and stops, I’d
Drop you at your gate.
~~
I’ve become a bus!
It’s hard to quite believe
I’m ecstatic – but starting to accept
That I’ve been quite naïve.
~~
Now I am a bus
Uniformed in red and gold
Scrupulously clean because
There are standards to uphold.
Now that I’m a bus
I arrive right on the dot
If I catch you misbehaving
I fine you on the spot.
Now I am a bus
I charge you 50p
But 50p is fair enough
I am sure you will agree.
Since I’ve been a bus
I’ve come to realise
That you have to make concessions and
You have to compromise.
girl, your private luminescence
unwilling to comfort you with the neat
end-stop you’d like,
these lines file
through customs,
eyes down
small stashed (to avoid duty)
amongst detritus and souvenirs
the quaqua-saw
us a beast
teeth bare
