You'd do well to know these roads

Like the back of your hand

But don't think of them as your world, for two legs won't take you far

In the board game

Of stops, highways and dead ends.

First, your friends:

Your blue buses with numbers and names

That slide back and forth between the four directions.

They are your lifeline, your ticket to home.

Remember where they intersect

Within the distance of your legs

And keep a round trip's worth of change

Always, for the unexpected.

Then there are the shelters and signs

Some are hidden

Others, in plain sight

On platforms, under trees, and half-built slabs of concrete.

A book, earphones and a warm jacket you'll need

For the cold nights you'll spend here

With the bus stop as company.

But don't wander too far

To the edges, where the public funding doesn't flow.

If worse comes to worst

Rely on your instincts

Run, with the youth you still have

And make it home before dark.