by Alyson Giantisco
Philadelphia becomes a movie set when it rains. 霓虹穿过水滴撞击着黑暗的街道, tiny prisms spinning through the night. 我看着电影在脑海里滚动，脑海里充满了故事. 我被闪烁的颜色和闪烁的运动淹没了.
I’m waiting for my life to take flight, 每天感觉就像我在不停地拍同一个场景. But more immediately, I’m waiting for the number 57 bus, 谁的路线看起来像一个四岁小孩差点把公共汽车路线弄直, but whose hand on the ruler was bumped once, twice.
I’ve blended into the scenery on this damp corner, 孤零零地靠在我上方的电线杆上. There is no bus shelter. 相反，我把自己缩在一把伞下，伞上装饰着跳舞的女士的形象. 他们张开双臂，悠闲地在织物轻柔的弧线上旋转. 我旋转伞，旋转自己，hg888皇冠手机版一起在寂寞的城市人行道上跳舞.
当我周围的环境看起来像一部反乌托邦科幻电影时，我很容易迷失自我. 在深灰色的夜晚，明亮的信号显得刺耳. 空气中的薄雾捕捉光线，在夜晚折射，在人行道上破裂.
The bus crests the hill and approaches. I step off the sidewalk, 在路缘与街道的交汇处，向南滑去的泥流. The bus exhales as it stops, 当驾驶员伸手按下按钮将前轮压住时，车门自动折叠. 它会哔哔五下，但在第二声哔哔之前我已经上车了. 当我绕过行人找座位时，两声确认付款的声音跟着我. 走道很滑，我估计巴士会漏. I touch the seat before I sit. You can’t always see the wet spots. 湿气被钢筋椅架上伸展的图案织物所掩盖.
For a moment, I am caught up in wondering about the seat fabric, 惊讶于设计师在选择图案时的满意程度, 第一批乘客坐在座位上的满足感. 曾经的宝蓝色背景上有彩色的小几何钻石，让我想起五彩纸屑. New, it must have celebrated friendship and travel, but now, worn and stained, brown and faded, it embodies SEPTA’s slogan We’re Getting There. The implication that We’re Not There Yet 这既是一个有趣的失态，也是对修女的挣扎的提醒.
Behind me, a man rummages through his belongings. He removes everything from his pack, one item by one item, 小心地把它们整齐地摆放在后座上. 他的胳膊乱糟糟地在找——从他不停地嘀咕，那让我觉得很沮丧, not finding—that for which he is searching. Suddenly he repacks with swift jilted movements. 他背紧包，在下一个拐弯处匆匆下车. I watch him head down the block, 我打赌他肯定会跳过同一条公交路线从相反的方向回去找他失踪的东西. 我不禁对这个四处逃窜的绝望之人产生了亲切感. 我也在找我放错地方的东西，只是我好像不记得是什么了. I hope the best for him. 我想象着他回到他工作的餐厅，发现账单塞在围裙的口袋里, or his phone lying on the counter. Or maybe he’s coming from the purple carpeted, golden draped basement of his spiritual guru, 忘记了他写下人生意义的那张纸条. Something about a fish? Or maybe it was a wish?
在公共汽车上，一群形形色色的城市中学学生坐在我周围. We who ride the bus alone on a Saturday night. We are the left-behinds. We are the after-thoughts. No couples get on the bus as we ride. Ten, then twenty minutes. It’s a quiet night. 再过四个，五个，六个街区hg888皇冠手机版就能加入了. 隔墙挡住了hg888皇冠手机版的视线，司机几乎看不见. 她伸出手臂推开门杆，然后把门关上.
hg888皇冠手机版骑士都是懂得沉默的都市人, and most importantly, 如何在巴士上让hg888皇冠手机版彼此保持距离. 我想象着我的同伴们的生活，他们的来来去去. 我注意到他们的财产，他们疲惫的表情，以及他们想象的故事让我感到忧郁. I turn my face to the window instead.
透过乘客们倒映的脸, I watch people outside who scurry in the rain, darting across streets from awning to awning. 小镇的这一部分是繁忙的，一大群人蜷缩在他们雨伞的小圆顶里. 有些人站在屋檐下，优先处理身体的某些部位，而把其他部位牺牲在雨中. 一群时髦的年轻吸烟者拥抱着潮湿的空气. They are without umbrellas, 他们在黑夜里眨着眼睛，好像希望雨停下来, then shift, huddle closer. 光线照在他们明亮的尖胳膊肘上，与他们黑色的衣服形成鲜明的对比. Around them people step wide, jostling one another. On the sidewalk, there is only room for two small umbrellas to pass, 不断的空间谈判就像一场城市芭蕾舞.
动作如此之快，但除了视觉，我什么都看不清了. 我的脑子里充满了其他的感觉:在城市的潮湿之下，有一股香烟的味道, the shuffling of pedestrians, 车辆通过水坑时的碰撞和溅起的水花, 寒冷让你感到不舒服，但却活着. 当门打开，顾客们下到夜色中，雨伞就会弹起——一种快速的金属声和咔哒声. The traffic light turns green and cars accelerate, 推着被堵塞的下水道形成的小弧线，水花溅在人行道上，分散了附近的人.
Inside the bus, there is an overwhelming silence.
在下一个红绿灯处，汽车转弯，我收拾好我的东西. 我把腿伸到过道上，准备离开. My thigh is hit with an icy droplet. 我找到了把我旁边座位弄湿的漏洞.
我下了公共汽车，撑开伞，动作优美得足以让玛丽·波平斯(Mary Poppins)为之骄傲. 我在人行道上慢悠悠地走着，但转眼间就到家了. The movie magic breaks. 我站在拥挤的人群下，在门廊上摇晃我的伞. Shake myself free of any lingering fantasy. I pass through my door. I am home.
Alyson Giantisco在打牌时很幸运，喜欢赢. 她相信感恩、庆祝、牛津逗号和创造力. Giantisco受过设计方面的训练，并继续制作和展示艺术品. She lives, works, and plays in Philadelphia.