To the Auburn-haired Man on the Bus

Another poem of mine, this time one of my favorite pieces. I did this piece for a creative writing assignment, it's a letter poem. My teacher asked me whether it was about a real person or not, and when I told him I made the whole thing up he was impressed and said I had gone to the next level. ^_^


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To the Auburn-haired Man on the Bus


Every morning you sit there, in the third seat from the back
On the right-hand side, staring out the window
As the verdant countryside unfurled before you ;
As if what you saw fascinated you more than any scroll
From Alexandria. Despite the allure the window held,
You would always glance up when the doors opened .
Your thick glasses took in every detail of the individuals
Who got on, from the sneakers on their feet and the short bob
Of her hair, to the deep indigo hiding in his eyes. If any person,
Man or woman, were brave enough to meet your gaze, your
Lips would curve into the most genuine of smiles.
That smile always made me blush, and I felt like
I had passed some sort of test —


This morning you were not there when I trudged
Onto the bus. I never had the nerve to speak to you ;
There was so much I could have learned….
I saw your obituary in the paper tonight,
So precisely worded that I knew you had to
Have written it yourself. And that is all I will ever
Know about you : Charles Mallory.