PANACEA

2⃣ The Creep Behind Me

The sky was dark, the air cool,
Summer was bidding goodbye,
And I was never more greatful,
For the sweaty days were to end.

The bus stop was deserted,
Except for a lone man by the pole,
And there I was,
Waiting for the last bus to Silah.

Swaying and shaking,
From years of service,
Then it came, up the hill;
With souls so diverse,
Each with a story,
Each with their own worries,
Waiting for their destiny.

I walked to the back,
And took a seat by the window;
Nearby sat a young girl of five,
Swinging her legs,
Unaware of the world around,
Her chipped upper incisor on display.

She told me how she fought,
To save her cat from Timmy,
I nodded to her words of heroism,
And saw her smile in bliss.

The next stop came,
She bid me bye,
And went with her mom,
I don't know if I'll ever see,
Eyes sparkling with such mischief.

Down came the drops of the first rain,
After the scorching summer,
With the wind in tow,
Kissing the dying fields,
Rolling, running and jumping
Down the glass,
Leaving their stories untold.

Being the mesmer I'm,
Only late did I notice
The pokes at my elbow
Gaining frequency.

From the corner of my eyes,
I saw the man sitting behind,
Flashing me his pearly whites.
*One more time and he'll be
having a hole in them*
I swore to myself,
And watched the shadows go by,
Shaped like villains,
From my nightmares.

Busy composing stories of
People rushing in the rain,
I almost missed, the poke on my side.
I tried looking over the high backrest,
Saw him with his head down,
Making weird noices,
Seemingly oblivious,
To everything around him.
But I knew better!

Tired of the day,
Tired of the long ride ahead,
Tired of the wretch behind me,
I picked a pin from my bag,
And waited for his move,
Like a soldier on a mission.

As the next poke came,
I pricked the man's hand,
-or so I thought-with my sword.

A wail filled the air,
And as I frantically stood,
I saw the man trying his best,
To calm a small girl,
Thrashing on his lap,
Pointing at her legs!