“No Problem” by Julia Rae Rodriguez

On a bus to Detroit

I saw the first sign of Autumn

Red and yellow creeping into

the trees that we passed

and this boy next to me,

I heard his friends call him Josh,

sleep creeps into him

He tries his best not to lean on me

He isn't doing very well

His eyes get heavy

and his head heavier

My right shoulder, a soft place to land

Two strangers

One to this state

and this city

and this bus

And the other, most definitely, a stranger to me

But my shoulder stiffens

and not a word is said

and outside

the world is quiet

leaves still turn from green to red

Julia Rae Rodriguez is a first year Theatre Arts and Creative Writing & Literature major that has loved words and writing since she could remember. She is a published poet and her book, "Dried Lavender & Sage: Poems as I Grow" won her two International Latino Book Awards in 2024.

Note from the Artist: “The seasons change, and so, it seems, do we but the answer to “thank you” is always “no problem” for me”