By Kay Augustine

I rode the bus twice
on Saturday, once
on Sunday, traveling through
the Inner City.

Two older Black men—a
different one each day—seeing, perhaps,
my grey hair and wrinkles, smiled and
said “Happy Mother’s Day,” and 

as each greeter left the bus, I said,
“And a good day to you, sir!”
The first replied, “You made my day!”
The second said, “Be safe!”

He gave me food for thought: Some folks
think Milwaukee isn’t safe; they wonder why
we’d want to live here; they've said that
crime is rampant on our streets.

I’ve lived here going on seventy years
and I feel blessed to live in a place
where I can meet others not like me
but we speak to each other
lovingly.