riding the bus downtown
on a Tuesday morning
with no destination in mind

just a funny sort of solitude
with my ears plugged in
to a cd player

watching a small girl
climb on board ahead of her mother
twirling down the aisle

as Elton John sings Tiny Dancer
gently into my ears
as the sun blooms gently
through my window
as the bus rumbles gently beneath me

and I've ridden this route before
with no destination in mind

but it was Rhapsody in Blue that day
and Gershwin bustled up and down the sidewalks
as the wind bustled through cement valleys
as the people bustled from one giant box
to the next
as my heart bustled joyfully
as I watched from my window seat

but today is different;
today Elton sings Tiny dancer
softly
slowly
peacefully

and this is the destination
I had in mind.

03/16/2006