"I Ride the Bus" By Sam Hendrian

“I Ride the Bus”

Frantic first-world fears

Foam up at the spa-adjacent coffee shop

Crafting an overcropped canvas

On which bedroom woes are the primary focus.

But I ride the bus

And know there are far more brands of protection

Than Trojan or Durex,

Lying or ghosting.

A cracked iPhone 5 beaming Candy Crush

Between McDonald’s and Section 8 housing

While a blur of preferred parking lots

Revives postpartum pipe dreams.

Pocket rosaries and prayer books

Clasped with placeholder faith

By mathematical mothers

Mentally tallying cans of SpaghettiOs.

Rumors of tumors removed from consciousness

Until the next paycheck arrives

Since it’s pointless to stress

Over what you can’t afford to address.

Espresso existentialism erupts evermore

From vacant volcanoes

Oblivious to the invisible lava

Scorching the tap water drinkers next-door.

Bio: Sam Hendrian is a Los Angeles-based filmmaker, poet, and playwright striving to foster empathy through art. From writing personalized poems for passersby outside of LA's oldest independent bookstore every Sunday, to making Chaplin-esque silent films about loneliness and human connection once a month, Sam lives to make other people feel seen and validated. More poems and films can be found on Instagram at @samhendrian143.