there are twenty

or so seats filled

when i step on

the one bus

at six in the morning

—i take my seat

toward the back

and close my eyes

like i usually do

to get some extra rest

on the way to work

—i listen for the beeps

which are each

another passenger

scanning their card

and stepping on

—i can imagine

how full

the bus has become

but i can not see

until, listening

for my stop,

the announcer says

“montgomery”

and i open my eyes

to see forty

or fifty people now

standing in the aisles

holding the hand rails

shoulder to shoulder

—standing up

i have to say

“excuse me”

and fight through

a maze

to get off