New Years on a Bus

- I spent New Years 2009 on a bus from Hartford to NYC. Basically because of I was stubborn.

- Nobody acknowledged midnight. Not a sound. We were on the highway somewhere, riding through the darkness. I couldn’t see any fireworks or celebrating. Nobody honked their horn on the highway. Nobody even got a phone call.

- I did a lot of reading.

- I did get a little sad at midnight.

- I wondered if the guy across from me wearing the yankee cap might want to mug me or maybe even give me a new years hug. He got off somewhere in CT.

- And I wondered how many homeless people were on the bus. I doubt there were any but there were a few maybes among the 5 or 6 passengers. The ones slumped over in their seats looking beaten.

- I was a broken down piece of meat. In texts I took to speaking like my version of the Ram, saying “hombre” and “hombresito.” Offering fist pounds.

- My friend Steve’s take, “your in transit for the future.” Last night this statement seemed powerful to me. Yikes.