The Art Of Waiting.
April 10, 2010 at 3:25 pm | Posted in contemporary poetry, poetry, writing | 16 CommentsTags: writing. poetry
The man on the bus is doing a cryptic crossword.
Every now and then he gets stuck and
stares blankly out the window as though
the answer might be there.
The woman next to him is listening to music
on her i-pod. Her eyes are closed and she is
motionless. I am trying to remember a poem
without metaphor and a reason for it.
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The Puzzle Box
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- The Australian Poet Laureate
- another quote from Robert Adamson January 31, 2010
- Three Quotes from Robert Adamson October 22, 2009
- The copyright question (2) October 7, 2009
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gingatao 
This is a contrast to “Fragments from “The Betrayal”‘. Hopefully the two poems work as extremes of style for me and together say something about the way poetry has changed.
Comment by Paul Squires— April 10, 2010 #
I am happy I stumbled on this…I like it.
Comment by bonewoman— April 10, 2010 #
Very nice, Paul.
Comment by Jonathan S— April 10, 2010 #
people on a bus is a theme i keep coming back to. i’m gladdened to see another poet doing this observation work.
Comment by jack sender— April 11, 2010 #
Nice poetry post. Why are buses the loneliest places on earth?
Comment by Nigel Featherstone— April 11, 2010 #
I like the mood. Semi-serenity, concentration and a sort of weary indifference. I picture this on a hot afternoon or a muggy morning commute…I have no idea why…perhaps because it’s hot in here. lol
Comment by Fabian G. Franklin— April 11, 2010 #
Mmmm, very nice Paul. As ever I very much enjoy how you take a common scene familiar to us all and find the magic within. You never fail to give me much to reflect upon … I’m looking forward to catching up on your other words.
… I feel like I haven’t visited you here in an absolute age…
Comment by Tracey— April 11, 2010 #
She might not be listening to her i-pod. The battery might be flat and it is her way of still pretending she’s somewhere else, haha. I’ve done that before. Especially if a poet is sitting next to me, tsk. There was another in the bus series was there not? They should have poetry on buses like they do the tube… that would be lovely.
Comment by Narnie— April 12, 2010 #
here i am reading your poem about a bus and thinking about dance(ing for some reason i dont know. it’s a soft shoe or something. enjoyed reading it very much, and noticed the new image at the top too, very nice!
Comment by tipota— April 12, 2010 #
Lovely, Paul. Especially the ending.
Comment by harmonie22— April 12, 2010 #
After reading this I kept thinking about the quote “Art for art’s sake.”
Comment by Cocoyea— April 12, 2010 #
Another wonderful poem, Paul.
This is high-caliber, masterful writing – particularly:
“The man on the bus is doing a cryptic crossword.
Every now and then he gets stuck and
stares blankly out the window as though
the answer might be there.”
Love it.
Comment by Bryan Borland— April 12, 2010 #
And I am waiting for a story, riding in the air like a radio wave.
Comment by The Querulous Squirrel— April 12, 2010 #
in my city they play the radio on the buses to “calm the passengers”
which doesnt leave much space for imagination
i long for bus rides silent except for the low chatter, exterior sounds and interior thought
Comment by froufou— April 15, 2010 #
the everydayness of this is what makes it really sing!
Comment by gnunn— April 15, 2010 #
I’m trying to remember a poem without metaphor”
and that itself is a pondering feat of notion, because it stumps the reader into the mind of a poet. this is brilliant. its like getting into the minds of each of the subjects.
Comment by Mike— April 27, 2010 #