Poem of the Week - ‘The Bus Stop’ by Michael Schmidt

The Bus Stop

I missed the bus, and then it was of course
Too late to catch the train
The rain came down through the shelter roof.
I sucked a cigarette and watched the rain.

I sucked a cigarette and tried to think
What, in the circumstances, I should do
It was dark. There were lighted windows across the way,
Behind one of which, no doubt, were you,

Which is why I was in the cold and also why
I got there too late for the bus, and then for the train.
You kept me just long enough
So that I would have to come back to you again

Out of the dark, as if I was in love
Again, as if I could ever come back in love.

Just one vibrant poem from Schmidt’s The Stories of My Life available on our website. His casual and direct tone on a seemingly mundane subject makes the reveal of greater significance at the end much more dramatic. Beautifully and subtly structured.