January 14th, Villanelle (for Buses)

by Brendan Strong

A curious thing is a bus,
Shared with so many others,
But it gets us to where it must.

Nobody ever causes a fuss,
Morning-boring, personalities smothered:
A curious thing is a bus.

A quiet cameraderie among us,
We talk only in mutters,
But it gets us to where it must.

Sometimes though, it can be fucked up
Seat-recliners make me shudder:
A curious thing is a bus.

We shouldn’t need rules to be just
Better is empathy for others,
Taking us where it must:

Commuting lives to jobs without fuss
Where it’s always one thing or another:
A curious thing is a bus,
Taking us where it must.