I love the laugh of the boy. I love the cool, calm way the girl reacts, that instant, "I'm not doing anything" demeanor of only the best kid pranksters. I love the space-walk quality of the air time she achieves. I love the fact that it's a girl, reminding me of so many of the girls I taught. And I love the fact that nearly twenty years after writing it, my school bus poem (one of my greatest hits, as far as audiences are concerned) has finally found appropriate visual accompaniment. I was stuck behind a school bus one day on a two lane, no passing road. I was in a hurry; the bus was not. I noticed a kid in the back seat looking out the window at me, and I imagined what was going through his mind watching me getting more frustrated at each stop the bus made (seemingly every fifteen feet).
Riding the School Bus
I'm bouncing in the back seat
waiting for that big bump
candy wrappers on the floor
Tootsie Pop cherry red
riding the school bus
the long yellow school bus
and you can't stop us
'cause you gotta stop yourself.
It's the law
and we know it.
Riding the school bus
the long yellow school bus
me and all my friends
we're laughing at the little kids
we're laughing with the girls.
Big bus driver
looking in his mirror
riding the school bus
the long yellow school bus
bouncing in the back seat
waiting for that big bump
hit my head on the ceiling
giving you dirty looks
out the back window
and you can't stop us
'cause you gotta stop yourself.
It's the law
and we know it.
And I'm still bouncing
dancing with my head
laughing in the back seat
riding the school bus
the long yellow school bus
head out the window
spitting on the yellow line
stealing Susie's lunch box
flicking Ronnie's ears
making crazy noises
dancing with my head
bouncing on the back seat
waiting for that big bump
candy wrappers on the floor
Tootsie Pop cherry red
pulling on the back door
watching you stopping
all red and mad
all red and mad
all red and mad.
Riding the school bus
the long yellow school bus
leave my drawings on the seat
stumble up the aisle
give the driver a smile
see you all tomorrow
riding the school bus
the long yellow school bus
taking my sweet time
walking 'cross the street
and you can't stop me
'cause you gotta stop yourself.
It's the law
and I know it.
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