summer city sounds

bus stop

a distant siren dutifully

ricochets all around the

tall downtown buildings

in the summer city heat

across from my bus stop

the children at the park

erupt with intermittent

piercing primal screams

a dog with a death-wish

howls every 2.5 minutes

as a jet passes overhead

and the traffic surges on

yet through all the noise

I can still hear my bus as

it accelerates into traffic

a good 4 stop lights away

michaeljordahl