February 2021 Submissions
The Bus by Alexandra Thomas
On the first day’s bus ride,
I found, under the neon exit sign
A perfect hideaway, a loners retreat
To sit and gulp down line after line
Of unthinkable creatures, fantastical worlds
And adventure that would never be mine.
Not long after, to my horror,
A siege was waged which my solitude could not weather.
A siege with hair long and dark as a winter night
And eyes of soft heather,
Looking happy as could be
In my hideaway’s soft leather.
Within a second, my defenses rose,
Her greetings met with a cold stare,
Still her friendly smile gleamed bright,
Like a knight’s sword in the dragon’s lair.
Any treasure, I’d have given freely,
But my company, I was unwilling to share
I held my silence for days,
Determined not to forfeit first.
But eventually my walls began to crack,
And I found myself beginning to thirst
For company, for knowledge, for the stories she told,
With so many questions, I felt fit to burst.
The stories she started,
How did they end?
Had her parents held ground against her,
Or, like me, did they give in and bend?
What ever happened to all the toys,
That to her sister she’d had to lend?
Slowly, slowly, I crept from my shell,
First with a giggle, quiet but true.
Then, my books began to lower,
Hardcover shields long past their due.
Soon, my heart grew soft, my eyes warm,
And enjoyment replaced my initial rue.
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Untitled by Don Wong
So in my attempt to fulfill my mission, I will need to recalculate the flight path to set to Earth. Probably not to difficult, though let me enjoy this untouched view of Mars for just a few months longer.