Bloody Men and Short Analysis

Bloody men are like bloody buses -
You wait for about a year
And as soon as one approaches your stop
Two or three others appear.


You look at them flashing their indicators,
Offering you a ride.
You're trying to read the destinations,
You haven't much time to decide.


If you make a mistake, there is no turning back.
Jump off, and you'll stand there and gaze
While the cars and the taxis and lorries go by
And the minutes, the hours, the days.


by Wendy Cope




Short analysis and comments on this poem.

At first glance, I thought this poem spoke the minds of generationsof single women.

Then it occurred to me that it also could be applied to men.

However, I would be writing from the perspective of women, who for no reason, are more affected by such fate.

The first line harshly concludes the poem before it even starts and it is the anchor upon which the poem is held.

It tells of the exasperation and sorrow men bring to women- single, and searching, desirous to find a bus on which they can board, to arrive safely at their destination. 

which in this stance, represents life and the Bric à Brac of relationships.

The adjective 'Bloody' expresses a sanguine perspective and also depicts the thirst for almost-death of so many single people in the world. 

Women who can not comprehend(not that they aren't trying) why the wait is not as productive as it should be.

If after awaiting for so long, wouldn't it be fair to have the desire of one's heart?

That is the question behind the words as I read through out and in.

Yet,this might be just a fragment of a larger problem which is the psychological aspect of loneliness, despair and singleness as portrayed negatively by the world.

The first stanza,as it is precisely expressed by the first line, explains the reason why "Bloody Men are like Bloody buses". 

It is because they seem to bring both relief and ache at the same time.

Every one knows how it feels like for example to wait under the snow for just one bus.

You wait for an hour or two, hands-frozen, head-heavy and legs still as stone.

Your thoughts are unclear and although you are still breathing, it is hard to tell how long this would last. 

While you have been waiting, another person comes along and stands by your side, waiting for the same bus.

And there, a bus drives by  and instantly another one, the two and three busescomes along side by side. 

How would you feel?

I think you would feel  pain and exasperation and almost disgust at that moment.

Why did you have to wait for so long for a  bus only for all three to come now in droves when all you needed was just one.

Then, although we might not have wanted another to suffer the pain we went through, it would appear fair to us at the instant, if both individuals had reached the same spot at the same time and eventually boded the bus after suffering alike.

The second stanza points to the attractiveness and confusion which the former relief of boarding a bus presented.

In other words, the random troubles that finding a companion brings to your life.

You have found one but there are others flashing their appealing light towards you. 

They seem to offer what the one you chose to follow has been offering yet they would likely portray those aspects of human traits they know the one you seem to appreciate more may be lacking.

That is where the dilemma of relationship lies.

Could it be him? is he comfortable enough? 

We are no more satisfied with entering the bus and finding a warm and comfortable pace. We are searching for a five star seat with no inconvenience. 

At that moment, your reason would be in no shape to advice you on the matter. To tell you that perfection does not exist.

The time factor is also an important issue in the second stanza.

Yes, time plays an enormous role in singleness and relationships.When we are single, we have only one yearning: To be with someone 'special. 

Someone that will take us to a new and different level. 

Although,there is nothing which indicates that we cannot attain that height alone, the desire to do it with someone imprints that belief unreasonably into our heart. 

We want someone. But, unfortunately many of us often put aside the fact that where we want to be may not be the place the 'special someone' wants to be.

Their destinations may be incompatible. This is where most of us make the mistake.We belittle the destination for the comfort of the present ride and the alluring safety of the bus.

The last stanza underlines an overall truth of the hazardous life we live. And also the strictness and rigidity about it.

The mistake has been committed and  it appears  impossible to remake what has been made. This is expressed by the line 'If you make a mistake, there is no turning back'. 

As if life offers you a unique chance in every moment of your life to make that one choice. 

There may be many buses in deed yet the chance that the buses are taking you to the right destination is rare. 

And the possibility that you have taken the wrong bus is high. 

However, you can get out of the bus or relationship, to get another one that will take you to where you want to be. 

Even though the time it will take you to get another is undetermined as expressed by the passing lorries, cars and taxis. 

These may look strange,unattractive and unpleasant as they pass by but you are bound to see them pass by and the time spent looking might be for a moment or forever.


Thanks for reading!!