(photo: Mo Riza, flickr)
The man in a trench coat
who smells like pencil shavings
makes the sign of the cross
three times during the trip to NYC
I wish he wouldn’t sit next to me
He fidgets and clears his throat
loudly,
never reads
I know he wants to talk
but I don’t
Why does he sit next to me?
He used to have a bus buddy
they chatted the entire way
never see her anymore
now he drifts from seat to seat,
hoping for camaraderie (I think)
I want to read or listen to music,
clear my head for the work day
Why does he sit next to me?
He tells the bus driver to “Have a safe day.”
Suburban Hobo 
At least he doesn’t smell too bad. Eau de pencil shavings seems tolerable.
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True enough.
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What more can I say??? Love your writing…. 🙂
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Thanks, Lucie!
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Wow does this resonate….it’s that awful guilty feeling that we all feel, we all dread…and you caught it here like a moment with a polaroid. Pitch perfect Erica!
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