Bus 131-1
The bus does a slalom
around the 90 degree turn,
straightens
totally ignores the red light
warning
slips onto the sidewalk and back
again
radio full blast, burning diesel
jerks, burns its brakes
the driver
donning tight black gloves
complete with sideburns--
an Elvis lookalike in
paisley shirt, leather
vest
and rock boots
gets out, has time to argue and
fight
blares his horn clear the way
but it’s Christmas; people smile
the smell of chestnuts and
roasted sweet potatoes
waft in the open windows
and we laugh
this bus from hell running
full-throttle
snakes its was through the Busan
mountains
slides on ice and wheels around
fires crazy through the night like
a wayward missile
speeding forever onward
to God knows where
Elvis Presley died in 1977 but continues to exert a strong influence on popular style and fashion around the world. Thousands of "Elvis impersonators" continue to make a good living across the globe, while large numbers of ordinary people self-consciously adopt his iconic look, to the extent that they are able. Graceland, his home in Memphis, Tennessee, continues to welcomes over 600,000 visitors each year. Every August, tens of thousands of fans gather there to pay tribute to "the King" with a candlelight vigil on the anniversary of his death, making Graceland the #1 Best Iconic American Attraction according to USA TODAY. Presley himself is also a regular at or near the top of the annual Forbes “Top-Earning Dead Celebrities” list, landing in 2012 at #3 (after Elizabeth Taylor and Michael Jackson) with $55 million in earnings. Elvis adulation is particularly strong in Asia.
ReplyDeleteBusan is the second largest city in the Republic of Korea, with a population of some 3.6 million. It is the country's largest port city and the world's fifth busiest seaport by cargo tonnage. The most densely built up areas of the city are situated in a number of narrow valleys between the Nakdong and Suyeong rivers, with mountains separating some of the districts.