Two A.M on O’Connell Street

Amy Spendlove

The stiff Atlantic chill shocks us little

As we trickle out with the last few from the pub

Our voices carry high into the night with laughter

We stumble over one another,

His hand still firm leads me

Last bus from O’Connell Street at 2 the barman shouted

Don’t they all, someone teases, still clutching their last bottle.

The bus comes.

Like children to candy shops,

We push our way through the narrow green doors

Everyone dashing up top like schoolboys to meet the Yankees

Now the lower deck fills tight like Sardines in a can

We gently sway against each other

No room to fall

Breathing the beer drenched air

Black wet road shining in the headlights

A young man pees along the railing as calmly as a

Sunday afternoon

But wait now

The Double-Decker jerks around

A scuffle, a scrap, full of drunken scowls

Suddenly the boys in blue appear

Out of nowhere to squash any ideas

With brave hands on batons

Silence breaks out and two bloody nosed regulars

Tossed out by the scruff of their neck

As the bus pulls off like a bride lifting her veil

The mood breaks

Bursts of laughter and talk of the bars fills the air

All the bad boys catch the last bus someone lets out

And it’s all shenanigans again

Headed for home on a cloud of warmth

Amy Spendlove is a student and future elementary school teacher currently attending Hazard Community and Technical College. She has a passion for learning disabled children having lived with dyslexia her entire life. Currently Amy uses her Early Childhood Education Degree to work with the youngest ages in the childcare setting. She has a desire to express herself in creative writing. Amy is a first generation immigrant from Ireland. This has given her a strong connection with family and travel. She lives in Louiville, Kentucky with her family and cat, Nasya.