7

his eyes lined with purple
transparent and not opaque
is it exhaustion
or blue veins?
long black eyelashes embark;
perfect parabolas
they spark the idea
of eyelash-root-pain.

on the bus,
crowded,
the air is thick
disgusting.
you watch the man in his mirror
and the girl pictured next to him
in reality, behind him.
she smiles at the world outside
she smiles from her thoughts.
similar in comparison to another
similar in aesthetic distaste.
you marvel at her.

you marvel at the man as well
his face a permanent frown,
slightly different from every other day
his face does not mirror (in the mirror)
the names of children
written along his bus.

it doesn't match up.