Discounted ticket and first in the line

armed with an ill-advised confidence and hope

that the first choice of seats

will make some kind of difference

to the perpetual

funeral procession

that is ahead.

 

The african students gets on;

the eastern european family of six get on (and sit behind me),

the junkies get on,

the dirty hippies get on (in front of me)

and every bastard baby is crying.

Beginning to think that sitting near the toilet was not a good idea.

 

Air conditioning, with the scent of stale piss

blasts into my face

with birmingham doing what birmingham does best,

England's second biggest city,

second biggest traffic jam

second biggest urinal

second biggest nothing.

Custer had more cause for optimism

riding into the valley of the shadow of death.

This journey

can't

can't only be four hours long.

 

Too many people

too long a journey.

 

Too long a poem too

and I'm making myself angry.

 

In short

Megabus is shit.

Don't use them.