the twirling girl
frozen in time
motionless marquis
poised in a hue
of 1982
transcendent
and alone

a corner hub of aspiration
whistles a familiar tune
while our crowd waits for the bus
silent
together but alone
crossroads of dreams
and broken memories

a man once told me
while we waited
one half hour
under milwaukee avenue construction
heavy bus delays
lost in a traffic jam
of time

he stood
among those laborer men
several decades ago
waiting for a change
looking for a drink
obscured
except for
a singular glimmer of hope…..
a moment in time
under one transformative twirl
a man approached
circa 1995
and asked:
“ye ready for your life to change?”

on this day
we boarded the bus
public transit’s
chats of community
a human fuel
soul’s nourishment
in the daily commutes of life

decades diminished
a rear view mirror
in a dancing day
o, maryla polonaise
of yesterday
you are ageless
……and spinning

now headed north
in the direction of career
where the man at the bus stop
once was a beginner
who was guided
to tomorrow
by kind grace of a stranger

a stranger decades before
who believed in a sullen face
who had stood
across the street
from the crowds
beneath the dancing
girl in a twirl
shining a light
for anyone in need
on the grid
of transformation
at Belmont and Milwaukee
a dancing girlfor sale or lease

No More.