Look Up, 2010The bus was quiet and after several minutes of fidgeting and arranging myself I settled in. I looked out the window and my mind drifted back to song lyrics I'd heard earlier in the day. Inside the bus, in the stillness, the lyrics felt more real. I heard each word distinctly. Each line spoke to me so clearly. And then that tightening in the back of my throat and the tears welling up. One fell from the outer corner of my right eye as I pushed the orange button to request my stop. I stepped off the bus, exposed, nowhere to hide, and the chaos of Chinatown whisked it all away.
I remember moments like this, back in my citylife days, filled to overflowing. Exposed in public, letting myself spill. Oftentimes induced by music--back then it was a walkman, now it would be an iPod....thanks for bringing me back.
ReplyDelete...melancoly
ReplyDeleteAh yes.
ReplyDeletea lovely description of a moment in time. i see you're reading plainsong. it's in my stack of books to be read. would love to hear what you think of it.
ReplyDeleteThis is why I wear sunglasses on the bus on even the grayest days.
ReplyDeleteYou tagged it.
xo Jane
Exactly.
ReplyDeleteoh my - i am so glad i'm not the only person to whom this has happened. i hate crying, it's horrible to have a physical manifestation of one's emotions.. breaking them down, showing the world, leaving streaks of mascara.
ReplyDeleteBeen there...I think a quite a few times.
ReplyDeleteThis is a wonderful way of putting a moment so many of us can relate too. I also get that way when reading a book. A line can trigger so much.
ReplyDeletebeautifully expressed. happened to me on the bus, subway, in a taxi. still happens to me while i'm driving in a car :)
ReplyDeleteI am right there with you - your words really brought me along.
ReplyDeleteThank you, ladies. It's nice to know that you all seem to understand.
ReplyDeleteShari, I've picked Plainsong up from the library, but haven't started reading yet. I checked another book out at the same time and then really confused things by buying a nice used copy of a Vendela Vida novel... I'll be into something soon. Maybe all three simultaneously.
I simultaneously felt the back of my throat tightening as well, and this incredible urge to follow after you off the bus, to give you a hug. A hug for us both.
ReplyDeleteBeautifully written, as always. I can definitely identify.
xoox.
-me
Maria,
ReplyDeleteWhy don't we live in the same neighborhood? You have such a good heart. I love this comment. I'm feeling all sentimental now... It's nice.
xx,
Denise
I can totally relate to your emotions.
ReplyDeleteOh dear. I know that feeling well. However, Chinatown sounds like the perfect place for distraction. So busy. So much humanity. I hope you're better today. xo
ReplyDeleteMy eighty year old grandmother used to tell me how her life seemed like it had all been a dream. Your post made me think about how quickly time flies and how in a blink of an eye, a song or smell, or a lovely picture taken of the sky can take us back to a solitary moment time.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. Loved the clouds in your blue sky.
such powerful imagery from words alone.
ReplyDeleteMichele, It's nice to know I'm not alone.
ReplyDeleteredmenace, I'm fine. Just a sentimental moment... What would we be without them, right?
Bethany, Life does move quickly. I feel lucky to have experienced all I have so far, but I'm nowhere near done. I hope it doesn't go too fast.
Rachel, Thank you.
oh! i recall a time of great sadness when i would ride the bus to work, my eyes brimming with tears brought about by a certain song, or a memory of her...then my stop would appear and I would be swept into the chaos of the city, hiding my grief away in a small corner until the day was over...
ReplyDeleteAnnie, Sometimes the chaos of the city is helpful.
ReplyDelete