Bus Stop Etiquette
We roll up piecemeal, shuffled rush-hour
pack in all weathers; fix envious glares
into underoccupied kerbcrawl cars
blaring rock, pop, classical, duh-duh-duh
dance and dumbass ads. It’s Britain
so we queue; eyecontactless, heads bowed
into mobiles like bibles among eavesdroppers
alert for you’ll never guess news; so I turned
round & said braggadocio, grandparent
gloats, death and health-obsessed drama.
One eye out for the 432, the other on gatecrashers
lurking to gazump our too-shocked-to-say
chorus line; its well-rehearsed lean to the left,
arms outstretched in synchrony, body language
as one chanting thou shalt not pass.
Paul Waring’s poems have been published in print journals, anthologies and webzines. He was runner-up in the 2019 Yaffle Prize and commended in the 2019 Welshpool Poetry Competition. His debut pamphlet ‘Quotidian’ is published by Yaffle Press. WordPress site: https://waringwords.blog