There’s an
Empty seat
On muni
This bus
Has voided
And I have avoided
The fare inspector
Through the rear
Door chimney
It must be the
Holidays and the
Fare inspectors have
Grown white beards,
Gained 200 pounds
And the jingle I hear
Are coins I don’t have
There’s a seat
An empty one,
Two of them…three
A little leg
Thigh and drumstick
Room for these bones
Of mine
(And maybe a dungeness crab)
It feels good to
Get a seat
I’m so tired of
Ducking and dodging
The glare and glances
That say everything
And nothing
But this empty
Seat is mine
At this second
This moment
I’m going to
Savor it and
All the memories
That pass by
Looking out at
The unfocused
Images slowly
Coming into focus
Streets and
Corners and buildings
And an occasional face
I have a seat
Finally, in this
City of my birth
If only
For a
Second
It must be
The holidays
(C) 2017 Tony Robles
