AEIOU

she rode the bus to school
not only the yellow school bus, no, as if this was not enough,
she also rode the MTA

two years of Willits to Ukiah up route 101,
she would be forced to listen to not only one,
but many amongst the strangers in the hot, dry sun

invalid woman on the bus who would constantly fuss,
repeat her vowels over and over,
"AEIOU, AEIOU, AEIOU" sitting in her wheelchair of despair

hypnotized several times by another with his watch,
watch his wave back and forth, back and forth,
gently, she would watch

she loved to twirl, around and around, playing with her hair,
twirl whatever she could, whenever she could,
a black comb twirled up tightly on the tip top of her head

frightened she realized, the comb was stuck
teacher had no luck; the little girl was fucking stuck
she sat through the rest, sat through the spelling test

she climbed again on the yellow school bus, climbed again on the MTA
with the invalids and commuters starring down her way,
black comb dangling from the front of her golden hair, sitting in despair

the commute, a lifetime
back to school again, only this time with 1/2" bangs,
every thing had changed, everything re-arranged

~Emily Loren Moss