Richard Downes – 1 of Us
1 of us. 1 wheelchair user on the bus. 1 not of them. 1 not traveling with a similarly mobile friend. Many raising this as an issue. Travel remains a tale of segregation. 1 Rosa Parks. 1 Doug Palley. Many still not let on the bus. Hear all those voices on the back seat having fun, hear the politeness of passengers engaging whilst walking past each other. Human contact missing in segregation. Many have come far. I am 1 who travels. Many are still not let on the bus. Some are not let out of homes. Some cannot get to the bus stop. Many were engaged in the struggle. Many saw the inequity of inaccessible transport. Some thought it had been sorted. But being only 1 shows the complexity of the issue that remains for many.
Signs: Numbers
90 people on the bus
And only one of us
Seems fair to me
Lets take them on
One by one
by one by one
85 and counting
This old lady
Next to me
She’ll limp
She’s lame
She’s 93
84 and counting
Aye young fellah
give up your seat
you don’t need it
to get up this street
83 and counting
Hear young mother
Fold up your chair
That’s Doug Pauley
Do take care
And take your three kids with ya
78 and counting
10 schoolies on the back seat
All of them are shouting
68 and counting
This is rediculous
27 people standing
Black and white
And so much understanding
41 and counting
The bus driver
does he count
No he don’t
So that’s still 41 and counting
There’s loads upstairs
All unawares
Of all these sums amounting
I can’t see em all I do confess
So this is at best a guess
Only 5 left
Only 5 i’m counting
To my left a friend
Who does protest
She’d prefer to have a window seat
She’ll raise her voice
Its like a bleat
So that’s 4
And one’s a sheep
So that’s only 3 i’m counting
There’s the two ahead
Sat together
With no word said
So that’s only 1 I’m counting
1? where is this 1?
He’s that daft bloke
Doing all the counting
—
I am an emerging socially engaged activist poet, an Associate Artist with Disability Arts Online and Poet in Residence with Hornsey Town Hall Facebook Page, and facilitator of Poetry Meetings at the Highgate Society.
Find Richard here: detrich.wordpress.com
