A Route Above

The flat casing of the route timetable gave steady footing, but midday brought a new opportunity. A public transit bus pulled into the bay, the top edge of its side mirror humming inches from the shelter glass. I paused. Assessed the clearance. Wedging a small metal wire twist ties I collected from the canopy bracket into the rubber weatherstrip of the sign, I leaned outward across the gap. My boots landed firmly on the flat, matte plastic hood of the electronic sign bracket. Below, the bus doors hissed open and closed. From this central vantage point, every passenger movement and approaching vehicle unfolds in plain sight. Unnoticed. Firmly established.