This Probably Won't Get Me The Book, But ...

What are we doing here
--In this improbable place
----At such an unlikely time;
The congruence of endless improbabilities
--Assorting independently;
-------In one direction,
-------E = mc^2;
-------In another
-------A lonely young girl
----------Hustling strangers at the bus-stop
----------For money to buy heroin;
Fallen angels ...
This tired street;
Outside,
-------the woman hitching for tricks,
-------crying and shouting at the cars in her despair
-------because no one stops;
-------It's raining and she's got no place to go;
------------Food for her kids ...
Outside,
----the lonely girl at the bus-stop,
-------"Do you want some company?"
-------She sweetly asks;
-----------But I'm on my way to school ...

When do we stop seeing them as stereotypes
And begin to see them as human beings;
The common humanity
Of our shared genes?
Genetics class, U.B.C. Fall 1994

About This Poem

Last Few Words: This is the first poem I wrote about this girl at the bus stop who accosted me one September morning as I was on my way to school. It also mentions a woman I saw one rainy night coming home late from school. (That first semester was brutal: Lectures from 8:30 to 12:30, with a one hour break, then lectures until 4:30. A break followed by lab work that could begin, depending upon subject, at 5:00 or at 7:00 and would usually last two to three hours. In addition, I was also involved with a group who were trying to bring back our student newspaper that had been cancelled the year before by the AMS, and I was doing work study. Sometimes, I wouldn't get home until midnight! And then I would type up all my notes and begin working on Maths problems until about 2:00 a.m.) This poem will be followed by one I wrote that went into more detail about that encounter.

Style/Type: Free verse

Review Request Direction: [This option has been removed]

Review Request Intensity: I appreciate moderate constructive criticism

Editing Stage: Editing - polished draft

About the Author

Country/Region: CAN

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Comments

addendum to above

The follow-up to this poem has physical structuring that I may have trouble duplicating on this website. It will be interesting to see if I can figure out how to do it.