What To Do? 1962 Poem by Terry Collett

As soon as Elaine gets on
the school bus
they start:
Where's your boyfriend
Frumpy? Has he kissed
you again?

Laughter and smiles
and looks,
but she ignores them
as gets into the seat
by the window
and stares out.

Her sister(big mouth)
sits next to her.

She doesn't know
if John was on the bus
or not: she didn't look,
she was too busy
getting into her seat
as the laughter died out,
and the sniggers
became general talk again.

Her sister talks
to her friends nearby;
the radio
blares out music:
some Billy Fury song.

She wishes her sister
didn't blurt out
about John kissing her.

What did it
have to do with her?

She is tempted to look
over to see if John
is looking at her,
but she doesn't
just in case he is
and she blushes.

She watches
the passing view:
fields, trees, cattle,
grass and cottages.

She dreamed of him
the night before:
he kissed her
and she kissed him
and it was lovely,
and then she woke up
kissing her pillow.

Will he wait for her
when they get off the bus
or will he walk on?
She doesn't know.

I hope he will,
she muses,
watching the school
coming into view.

What to say?
What to do?