Conductors have great memory Poem by Robert Perišić

conductors have great memory, he gave me
just one look and that was enough for him
I never switch on the reading light
my head bobs in darkness
gazing through the window at woods
laughing heads of politicians on the poles by the road, elections
movies on VHS with many dead Iraqis
b production
Croatia
a cigarette and a toilette in front of a tavern
an unfinished cheese sandwich
my fellow traveler gives me a look, silence
I put out my cigarette
and enter the bus

a head bobs
bus drives by, snubs out houses
northern wind drives out ghosts

those woods, towns, karst fields
open spaces, vast landscapes
nothing ever happens, a best-case scenario for them