A City Bus (Street Lit Writing Prompt 01.18.19)

We don’t make eye contact when we aren’t speaking and we rarely speak. Living in an urban area has inspired us to let go of these courtesies. I say good morning and my words fall on deaf ears. Why make the effort to engage when we will encounter hundreds of strangers today, most of whom we will likely never see again? You can look past me at the bus stop in the rain, or better yet stare at your handheld computer. It is far less risky to engage with people via this filter of social media than to have to talk to someone who likely has little to contribute to my experience of life. Still, when we ride together, we are in fact doing so as a group. There are many destinations and still, we are heading in the same direction. I can’t help but smile with a sense of unity, a sense that, in this city of unfamiliar humans, we, on this city bus, are moving in the unison of a shared experience.