Look At A Book: Commute

Today it’s time to take a look at another one of my poetry collections, and it’s one of my favourites. I’ve done a lot of commuting and travelling around my local area on public transport, so I thought it was only right that I dedicated a book to it, and each poem in this collection is inspired by a specific route or service that I’ve personally used. Let’s get into the details with Commute!

Commute

Excerpt

Commute Horror Show

5.30 AM–the bus driver has blood
on his fingertips, clutching the wheel
with an early morning death grip.

Towards the stairs–she’s wearing the skins
of her last three pet cats, still pulsing
with their final panicked breaths.

Top deck–two skeletons chatter
while puffing smoke out of mimic lungs,
staring each other down with borrowed eyes.

Backseat–between the engine’s growls,
faint screams echo through the metal:
poor souls who stayed on past the last stop.

The Background

The driving force (if you’ll excuse the pun) for the inspiration behind this collection was my first year of university, when I commuted to and from Ormskirk. This was an approximately two-hour journey each way, so it definitely gave me a lot of time to think and reflect on things, as well as sneak in some reading, writing and coursework. I was commuting by bus because of a student bus pass that I used, and one of the buses in particular was always a very intimate affair – it was a small bus that only a couple of people took every day, and sometimes I’d be the only passenger and think to myself that it was almost like an oversized taxi for me to get to and from university on.

Is It Right For You?

Of course, if you’re not a fan of poetry then this might not be the best book for you. However, if you love poetry and particularly like writing with a focus on transport and scenery, then you very well might love Commute! It’s slice of life with a little bit of everyday magic tucked away in there, and if you live in the general area where I do then you might enjoy the references to the bus and train routes.

Commute does have a free eBook version available here, and oddly enough the UK Amazon version has been ‘out of stock’ for ages, even though that hasn’t happened to any of my other books. If you’re on US Amazon though, then you’re in luck! You can grab a copy with the link below. Feel free to try ordering the out-of-stock one on UK Amazon if you’d like to – I’m curious as to whether one will be sent out, as they’re supposed to be print-on-demand. Report back if you find out anything about that!

If you enjoyed this, click here to check out some of my poetry collections – free ebooks available as well as print books on Amazon!

(You can also tip me on my Ko-Fi page if you’d like to support an author!)