At the bus depo the old man stood waiting
And was too hot in his brown chord trousers
And brown tweed cap.
The others stood along the wall
Beside the man; a woman with a pram,
The young people in shorts waiting to get the bus
To go to somewhere nicer than this, to swim and play
And laugh. But not the old man.
He smoked a lonely cigarette and watched as the others
Walked onto the bus to leave the depo,
To go to a seaside town or quiet village or anywhere
That wasn't this concrete aisle for lonely journeys.

The old man left the depo on his bus alone,
And after he was gone the buses continued to run,
Children continued to laugh and other old men
Felt too hot in brown chord trousers and brown tweed caps.