Tweeting a suburban wandering

I went into town recently (one of the major cities in Israel), and had many interesting experiences on my trip. I tweeted about some of them. Here's a list.

A pretty but very 'dead-faced' girl sitting on the bus:


her smoothest face / 
to hide behind, until / 
betrayed / 
it slit with lines and broke / 
into a smile.
(tweet)

... and in haiku form:

lipstick plastic pink /\
face unearthly smooth and flat /\
pretty in her shell
(tweet)

... a bus meditation:

sitting still on rumbling bus.
thoughts rolling under the roar.
wondering, wondering: a silent chasm cloaks me.
(tweet)

... on the bus was a very tired-looking old man who sat opposite me:

I saw the old man /
droop and fade /
slump and shrink /
eyes dim /
face grim. /
so tired; so old and tired.
(tweet)

... the sun hit my eyes as the bus turned and moved:

the sun skipped out from behind a tree, blinded me;
I closed my eyes, dark inside, felt collapse calling me.
(tweet)

... the sitting writer, an island in the swirling masses of humanity moving past around him:

he sat and swirled it all around;
ducked out of the race and watched it all go by;
pen in hand, open sparkling eye.
(tweet)

... and a musician trying out a guitar in a shop window:

sat young man /
behind glass shine /
strings in hand /
faraway eyes /
dance his fingers /
watchers pine /
walking by.
(tweet)

who'd have thought?

who'd have thought
    the man could teach me?

my soul-calming river-rushing moments came back to me,
and I relaxed, and let down my walls
to look beyond his smell and his shabbiness.

and then he began to sing. I coaxed myself to be calm,
to remain opened, to look beyond...
perhaps he's one of the hidden ones,
who challenge us to see greatness, if only we will look deeper,
look beyond...

he sang an ancient melody,
and it warmed my soul, as I sat there motionless,
listening, and keeping down my guard.

he sang and the holiness in what he flickered towards,
in what he aspired towards,
touched me and soothed my soul with comfort.

I wondered after he had gone -
and I barely knew what to wonder.