Our bus is a cocoon; united only few of us diverges into time and space. We ride a comet’s tail, we are encased inside a satellite. Light outside are planets; they are nebulas. My pale reflection is haloed by a greenish light. Encased.
Both our destination and the cities where we came from has lost its importance. I turn my focus to the music in my headphones; and start to hum: “Can you hear me major Tom?”.
An elderly man on the other side of the corridor picks his nose, and I imagine that we are all on our way to the execution. The water on the window panes are tears, and I can visualize a hungry crowd screaming for our blood.
But then the driver calls: “Next stop: Des Moines”, and I feel how space collapses into here and now. Each of us have different roads to follow.
we were separated
under the milky way —
wormed by neon lights
Photo by Gabriella
Today it’s haibun Monday at dVerse and Gabriella is hosting with pictures of her own. My choice was the rain on the bus window, but there are other pictures to choose from too. The haibun should be reasonable in length with only one haiku. Come and visit us, the prompt opens at 3 PM EST, and yes the haiku is very inspired by Under the Milky Way by the Church.
February 1, 2016
Björn Rudbergs writings 
Ah, what an appropriate destination! This seems to be where all of the attention in this country is focused at the moment! Riding on the bus in the rain gives a person an eerie kind of feeling. Your haibun adds to the surreal effect of Gabriella’s photo!
Ha.. yes I did think about the news… and maybe saw the separation in the result … but i think it can work on many levels.
I think you have captured the bubble feeling one might sometimes have on a bus when the scene outside is too blurred to allow us to look outside. I too thought the destination had to do with the current news!
That’s a powerful piece of writing – the feeling of being on a bus going through the rain- enclosed in a microcosm where a vaguely hopeless feeling pervades.
Like how you made this such a surreal trip.
Great interpretation of the photo–I used the same one quite differently. The details make me think you dipped back into your memory for this one, Bjorn.
I think there are many memories mingling into one…
In vehicles there often is that feeling of being timeless and to a degree without a sense of space!
Very cool descriptions:
“Our bus is a cocoon”
“I turn my focus to the music”
“and I feel how space collapses into here and now” (this is my favorite)
It was really clever to double up on the word “encased.” It draws out what you’re hiding: “in case(d).”
I also like that you picked Des Moines … because it’s just weird. It got me looking up info on the city, and I love when poetry leads me to new research topics. Also, inside “Des Moines,” I can find lots of little hidden words, and you know I can’t help but see the way words break into pieces and reform themselves.
There’s a demon hidden in Des Moines.I think… 🙂
Ha. I didn’t even see that one. “This is mine” is what jumped out at me.
That, and “Two More, Ines.” 😉 I wonder what you were ordering from a waitress named Ines? Now I”m thinking of the Knight Bus from Harry Potter. Man, I love those books/movies.
Perhaps more than one demon in Des Moines as the big show is launched; we’ll see soon. I want to feel the Bern. Your surrealistic stream of consciousness piece is terrific on several levels, reality, daydream, dread, nightmare & pathos for Bowie; excellent job, brother.
There is more than one demon in Des Moines. glad you skipped over the political aspect of Iowa. I for one am heartily sick of it. But your haibun very wonderfully gives that feeling of being in a bubble, encased, seeing the blurred faces, tawdry houses, sad streets seen in the areas buses go and their stations are located. Surreal feeling to this.
“Next stop: Des Moines,” just snaps you back into reality in one swift kick after that meandering daydream we had just been in! You took us to some pretty far-out places, Bjorn…so entertaining.
An engaging read, Bjorn. Excellent.
Love the opening lines Bjorn as you pretty much described a shared journey, then the ending with the separation & going on our own path ~ I specially admire the haiku line – wormed by neon lights ~ Terrific story telling ~
“and I imagine that we are all on our way to the execution.”
–whew, have I been there. I was beside you on the bus, on my way to hell, perhaps. YES.
This is so vivid in its entirety and I love the shift that takes place…rich writing, Bjorn!
You captured that surreal feeling of being inside glass in the rain. Des Moines made me laugh. Watched the video – great song!
Yes, those lights do look a bit like space worms. I thought the view was from a train window but, yes, it could be a bus too. Which is the more romantic? Now, there’s a debate!
The imagination can have so much fun with this piece. I love the ‘zoning out’ to Major Tom. Excellent.
You have given us the ‘isolation in a cocoon’ that journeys can produce. Bravo for putting flesh on the dream.
You took me right inside the cocoon of that bus. Loved the nebula, the comets tail.
Being an Iowa girl from way back when, I remember the days of riding the greyhound bus to Chicago — the blur of the highway and the passing cornfields and then the blurring headlights multiplying in number as you near the “big city.” I enjoyed this….and yes….many a person on such a bus, blends their tears with the raindrops on the windows….leaving behind a family, a dream, or something held dear.
Enjoyed this very much!
I loved it even before I figured out the current significance of Des Moines.
I really enjoyed this haibun from the teary rain drops to the elderly gentleman excavating his nose and your haiku .. this is a splendid write.
Fascinating haibun, Bjorn…I’m pleased the bus stops in Des Moines 🙂
For me, this was very effective in evoking a sense of lost time and reality while traveling with strangers in a “capsule”. There is a feeling of uneasiness and the mind wanders until the rude awakening of “Next stop”
I especially like…
“…and I feel how space collapses into here and now. Each of us have different roads to follow.” I could feel the collapse!
This has a surreal feeling to it – almost like entering a worm hole in the world where small things: light, sound and elements are intensified – many layers, or perhaps, overlapping recollections. An awesome haibun.