I live in America
and the school bus comes to my front door.
I have a knapsack stuffed with books
and super sharp pencils. I spent the morning
on my skateboard wearing a baseball cap
backwards with a picture of some kind of eagle
or bear holding a hockey stick. I’ve got shorts on
and biceps I can kiss. The bus driver knows
my name and asks me how my parents are
and I tell them they’re hard at work but it’s all cool.
I sit a few rows from the back seat
next to a dude called Brad who teaches me
how to blow bubbles with my bubble gum.
We chat about what England might be like,
all red phone boxes and wonky teeth. We wonder
if the people there are as sad as they look
and imagine what vinegar on fries tastes like.

© Carl Burkitt 2023