A Collaborative poem:
Travelling around Manchester: Sights and sounds of the City.
“On the bus”
Many people waiting at the bus stop,
no one smiled.
Children playing, waiting to go to school.
Old friends laughing,
people on their own looking sad.
Stressed, angry, nervous, I want to be on time – “Where is the bus?”
The bus arrives, relief.
The bus is busy – some people are running.
Sometimes you just miss the bus.
People on their phones, listening to music.
There’s WiFi on the bus!
The phone is like a shield, protection.
Squashed together, but not connected.
I was told not to ask people questions,
try to find things out for my own self.
The driver sees me running, he shuts the door.
I smell weed, there’s a man at the back rolling a splif.
People take their dogs on the bus!
The smell makes me feel sick.
Ladies put their bags on the seat next to them so no one can sit there.
I like the queuing, people take their turns,
they respect who was there first.
The bus is running.
I see people walking, houses, schools, countryside.
I thought it would be beautiful.
I see people kissing.
Fog, steamy windows, rain, can’t see out of the window.
Dirty windows, blinded by the sun.
Sirens, ice-cream vans, children running
refuse trucks, cleaning cars, motorbikes.
My stop is coming.
I ring the bell.
Sometimes the driver forgets so I knock on the window,
sometimes I am thinking about my troubles and I miss the stop.
The bus is slowing down.
I stagger and bump into people.
Sometimes they are angry, “Don’t touch me.”
I say thank you to the driver.
I climb off.
My body relaxes.
How should I kill time?
It’s been a long day.
I am ready to go home.
The poem and the conversations that took place while it was being written, highlight the sense of dislocation many of the participants feel. They feel they are seen as less than worthy. The anger that was felt towards them perfectly captured with the words “Don’t touch me.”, even though it was just an accidental thing within the confines of a tightly packed, moving bus during rush hour.One piece of advice that kept coming through from everyone was the need to research and know where one was going. It is imperative to buy the correct bus ticket, usually a return, so that money is not wasted needlessly.