Bus Ride Poem by Abraham de la Torre

Bus Ride
Abraham de la Torre

The lady looked for a place
to wipe the pinky
that picked her nose.
Her straightforward face

never wavered from the purpose
as if it were a feat;
the furrow or two in her brow
thrown in to some extent.

Having exhaled the deed
she rummaged in her purse
for what one would wager
is a cellular accessory

and will be found wrongly;
she retrieved a possession
more prized and dabbed her nose
and dermal constituencies dry.

She will proceed with her privately-owned
devices while her seatmate struggled
with his wife's influence and his conscience
against judging her mediocre toiletries.