Thomas Belton ~ Bus Ryde To Skool

1.

Rid e on bu s
thr ough streets
of sno w

Pas the
Magneto sphere
Giant

Ball of elec­tri city
Pulling busted
cars

Up wards in to
A field of force
crumbling

Drop ed into
the maw
of a furnace

Then

In a blink
The bus
Moves on

Down South St
reet and
past

Fitler Square
Where
My father’s

Moth er slept
In her slippers
Snatched

From Ger many
Before the
Wars.

A wom man
waves
A hand kerchief

At the bus s
top on
Taney

Street
Her manic
Waving

Dis appear­ing
In a gout
Of smoke

Die sel
Exhaust
Pushing

Downhill
To the
Train yards

Hog diesels
Pumping
Be side

Us in the
Blistered
Morning.

As I study
My Ovid
Trot translation

Ars Amore
Metamorphoses
Fasti

Glancing up
In metere
Stumbling

Within
Subjunctive
cases

As ten­e­ments
Slide by
Like goblets

Of win­dowed
Ghosts
Elevated

Thro ugh
Passive
Voice

Amo
Amas
Amat

I love
You love
He loves

This city.

2.

Mo ments
Slip and
Glide

Bck for
Wrd
Mum bling

Voices
On the
Bus

Mothers
Cud dling
Child Ren

Sleep ing
Bums
Weeping

Leathr
Boys
Smoking

Cath lick
Gilrs
Doping

On the
Eye balls
Googling

Ipads
Flaming
Chat her

Wet
Mittens
Steaming

Snow out
Side
Drifting

Book bags
In aisles
Funneling

Feet in
Tune to
Trippy

Music
Bleeding
From ear

Buds
Popped
and passed

Hand to
Mouth
Fizzlwd

Bump y
Slop P
Laughing

Spill
In
On my

Cordovans
Blood
Stained

Crusted
From Friday’s
Dance

Monday
Moth
Fever

Sleeping
On de
Bus

Janet
A dream
Memory

Soft tits
And
Grinding

Rome
Filling
My Mind

With
Glitter
And guts

Nero
Messsalina
Seneca

Lions
In the
bathtub

And
I’m dying
On the

Bus
Like a
Christian

Martyr
Love crossed
With Janet

The nails
In My
Hands

My feet.

3.

The bus
Turn-
iquets

Into
A skool
Yard

Spinning
Wheels
Crunching

bones
beneath
the holog

raph­ic
spin of
time

like
wheels
anthro posing

Whoosh
Doorway
]
Exit.

~

Thomas Belton is a poet and fic­tion writer, and a fre­quent Op-Ed writer for the New York Times, The Baltimore Sun, and The Philadelphia Inquirer.