Artemis

The Man From The Bus Stop


I\'m in an unfamiliar place
Surrounded by people i don\'t know
Every time someone looks at me for to long, I get nervous 

He walks by
He seems nice at first
Old enough to be my grandfather and walks with a cane
At first I think he\'s just trying to say hi
I was wrong

He winks and calls me “sweetheart”
Does he know I\'m only fifteen? Most tell me I look older, maybe he thinks i\'m a college kid, out on the town

I get nervous, both from him and the time, i\'m running late
I walk a couple blocks down the street
He follows
I try to ignore him and keep my distance
He follows
I get on the bus 
He follows

The reason I always get off near public places and lots of traffic
Because of people like the man from the bus stop
Who look at you like your something he would like to ruin
                                                                              destroy your innocence
                                                                                                   make you feel dirty
Looking you up and down even in your dirty cargo pants and plain black t-shirt

I don\'t think I look particularly nice,not someone you would look at twice,not one that stands out
yet this happens time and time again
I can\'t help but wonder why?

As I keep glancing at the man walking behind me on my way home. Why?
As the man keeps glancing at me on the bus. Why?
As I keep getting off at the stop by the store, in case I need to lose a man following. Why?
As I have to fake a smile and pretend to check my phone while ignoring his flirtatious jokes. 

Why?