Nirvana

To listen to Tom Waits read it, go to: Hear Nirvana on youtube

not much chance,

completely cut loose from purpose,

he was a young man riding a bus

through North Carolina

on the wat to somewhere

and it began to snow

and the bus stopped

at a little cafe in the hills

and the passengers  entered.

he sat at the counter

with the others,

he ordered and the

food arived.

the meal was

particularly good

and the coffee.

the waitress was

unlike the women

he had known.

she was unaffected,

there was a natural

humor which came from her.

the fry cook said crazy things.

the dishwasher.

in back, laughed,

a good clean pleasant laugh.

the young man watched

the snow through the windows.

he wanted to stay in that cafe

forever.

the curious feeling

swam through him

that everything

was beautiful there,

that it would always

stay beautiful there.

then the bus driver

told the passengers

that it was time

to board.

the young man

thought, I'll just sit

here, I'll just stay

here.

but then

he rose and followed

the others into the

bus.

he found his seat

and looked at the cafe

through the bus

window.

then the bus moved

off, down a curve,

downward, out of

the hills.

the young man

looked straight forward.

he heard the other

passengers speaking

of other things,

or they were reading or

attempting to sleep.

they had not

noticed the magic.

the young man

put his head to

one side,

closed his eyes,

pretended to sleep.

there was nothing

else to do-

just to listen to the

sound of the engine,

the sound of the

tires in the snow.