The bus is running late tonight,
I eagerly tap my foot and check my watch,
tapping its lens to make sure that
the arms are still ticking, roaming.

Lights flash bright down the street
and a smile leaps to my lips.
The lights hold steadfast,
coming coming!
I wave my hand and grab my bag!
It’s here it’s here!
I run to meet it
going going,
Where are the lights going?
Sped by in a flash
And then past, gone.

Throwing my hands in the air,
Exasperated and pacing
Ranting and raving
I walk back and forth, I
cursing my luck and the luck
of ones like I
stuck at this empty bus stop
having light tricks flashed
in their eyes.

Rain patters on the window -
I can smell its fresh scent
From the tiny window
Above my head.

The smack of branches hit the moving roof
Like his hand on my damp cheeks
Will I remember the taste of my blood tonight?
I rock in the flimsy seat.

The whir of the engine
                 The fed up faces
Oh how I so wish
                 To swap in their places.

Earphones are in
Chewing gum-flavoured sighs
Stick it under the seat
after the ride.

                   I imagine them trudging
                   through their front doors
                  Home is their salvation.
My anxiety soars.

                   They step over the threshold
                   And drop their bag on the floor
That's where I'd be laying
I'd endure it, like a chore.

Door opens with a creak as I slip from the rain
But rain is a favourite pastime.
No one chases me out of the house
When the sun has ceased to shine.

                            They smell mum's cooking
I smell mum's ****
                            Their parents smile
She hears me and screams.

                      Crunch goes their foot on a dropped crisp
Crunch goes his foot on my hand
                        An abuse documentary? Turn that TV over
                        Darling stick your head in the sand

                   "Did you have a nice day at school?"
                   That's what they are always asked
How nice: I can't hear what I'm told
Im waiting for the ringing to pass.

what a strange sight to see,
sunlight streaming through windows;
the gentle touch of fiery radiance,
falling on silver pillars and plastic handles
draping over broken plastic seats
with the same ceremony and caress
inside a bus as it would in a chapel  

on this quiet journey homeward,
I have found peace

The exchange of smiles
The greeting nodded
We return to our papers
No words needed

They've sold us ******* at a reduced price,
it was so cheap and hard not to buy.
Like a scrappy burger from a fastfood shop,
cheapest burger in town, you just can't say no.

They've sold us ******* about democracy,
bright future, freedom and prosperity.
About the new chapter in our poor lives.
They've sold us 'good news' - the big pile of lies.

They said "Just wait and you will see
what a great country we all live in".
When the voting time came, they beg "Vote for us!",
then they turned Parliament into a comedy club.

Now we are standing on the bus station
waiting for a bus, which is on diversion.
They apologise for the inconvenience,
promising that it will come, it's just been delayed.

But the bus is not coming, we keep freezing on,
knowing too well by now, that it'll never come.
"Can you, by any chance, get a replacement bus?!"
They can't, 'cause nobody longer cares about us.

They've sold us ******* at a reduced price,
it was so cheap and hard not to buy.
Like a scrappy burger from a fastfood shop,
cheapest burger in town, you just can't say no.

Took the bus to my class
On the window seat listening to the music
The air blew the heat on my face
While I sat there and watched outside

Out of nowhere, a sunshine entered
Distracting every passenger and passerby
My music blurred and my eyes took charge
To see that wonderful girl ahead

She got on with a smile so bright
And sat next to my seat
Her hair spread the coconut scent through my head
And it grabbed me by my heart and stayed

Sweet and beautiful she turned her head
Towards my shocking face and frozen eyes
Somewhere deep inside was the conscious me
And she took me by surprise with her sweet gentle smile

no talk
i was with my mate going to work
when i saw the couple on the bus
they were young and in their 20s
he had mousey hair and she was blond
they were taking time out

and travelling in the philippines
she was finishing her teacher training
and he was a soldier between deployments
while i was commuting to work

in the city to my bpo job
we talked in my head
not in the real world

they were innocent and untouched
she wasn't abused by her students
he hadn't seen his mates blown up

all that was to come
should i of warned them?
be vigilant and strong
but no no no

they had to learn for themselves
the london couple on the makati bus
they reminded me of my old mates
when i lived in essex and london
years ago...

...3 were soldiers
where are they now?