down the valley

I met you on the Summit County bus, as I walked towards the back I caught my first glimpse of your western boots and dark brown hair and I all but lost my breath. you sat back deep in your thoughts as I carried on a shallow conversation over the phone I was so embarrassed, you embodied my ideal of hip, you screamed sexy in tones I had never heard before and I found myself instantly wondering what you were thinking while completely aware of my homely appearance. I turned around to ask if you knew where my stop was and you had no idea, you were a traveler just like me and to be honest I didn’t care if you told me get off in Dillon because I only asked to hear the pitch of your voice. You wore dark sunglasses like Elvis Costello but I was lucky enough to catch a glance from your piercing almond eyes before you hid them behind black curtains. I moved to the front of the bus to ask the bus driver where I should get off yet I could not help but look back as I watched you indulge a child and ask him his age (he held up four fingers) and whether he would ski or snowboard (he said ski). you cracked a subtle smile of amusement laced with mystery more intoxicating than cocaine soon I tried to guess the contents of the bag you carried and I gathered it held an adventurous melody with a chip of apathy and a grain of sorrow. I lament that before I could devise a clever plot to make you fall in love with me the bus slowed down and the driver hollered the name of my stop. so long handsome traveler…