On my walk, I would envy the school bus kids.
You know, the ones who lived long enough
to warrant a ride. They were always together.
Laughing. Their crisp, multi-colored heads
bobbing like so many apples. Newly tall
enough to see from the window… until I
realized that there was just one faded yellow
bus and she was also alone… each child the only
in their seat with a lonely lunch tote, squish-hidden
by a single brown bag already soggy with the shame
of obscuring its insides. And what looked like laughter
was only the bouncing of their curly heads on a poorly
paved road—little fists hollow, already clenched below.
Little Fists Hollow
Jess L Parker is a poet and strategist originally from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Jess lives in Fitchburg, WI with her husband, 18-month-old son, and Pitbull, “Poe”. Her debut poetry collection, Star Things, is winner of the 2020 Dynamo Verlag Book Prize. Jess’ poems have appeared in Bramble, Kosmos Quarterly, Blue Heron Review, and elsewhere. Jess holds a B.A. of English and Spanish from Northern Michigan University, an M.A. of Spanish Literature from UW-Madison, and an MBA from Concordia University.