Riding the bus on Saturday afternoon

          Riding the Bus on Saturday Afternoon

         

                                                This an adventure,

                                                August adventure.

                                                Out on my own,

                                                September adventure.

                                                Dreamed of, now coming

                                                this is delicious

                                                wobble-leg sweet

                                                head-pounding

                                                heart-dancing

                                                finger-stiffening

                                                sour taste in my mouth.

                                                I am released

                                                like a single clear note

                                                set loose to shimmer

                                                for this time and remembering

                                                I shall be loosed

                                                mind boggling

                                                tongue drying

                                                shy voice

                                                free.

Cailin Sanders

(I was 15 and I wasn't allowed to ride the city bus downtown by myself, which limited me to our local one-room library and the occasional trips to a branch library. I really, really, really wanted to visit the Central library in Austin. I'd been there a couple times, but I wanted to go whenever I wanted to! The books called me! So, sneakily, (and I was not normally a sneaky teen) I told my dad where I was going (while he wasn't listening) and told my mom I was just taking the bus to the church where I babysat on Saturday. Which I did! But then instead of coming home I continued on the bus downtown and went to the library. Of course, I got in trouble later (as I had planned, my dad totally forgot I'd said anything to him, so nobody knew where I was for about four hours), but I was firm in my justification that I had told someone where I was going and after that I assumed I had permission to go wherever I wanted on the bus, although I told my mom when to expect me home afterwards in the future (-:) It was an utterly liberating feeling to be on my own, going where I wanted to. It was a gorgeous day, I got a ton of wonderful books, and it was one of the perfect moments of my life. 13 years later, I'm still single, I still go on expeditions by myself, and I still love it!