lifestyle musings of a literary clown (8)

I love the rhythms and the movement of the subway. To me, it’s one of my favorite spaces to find creativity. So I let the subways inspire these words and wrote all of these poems while traveling through the cities arteries.   

THE M TRAIN 

Stopped on the bridge 

Suspended between Burroughs

Life above water 

April 28th

17 cents left 

My metro card. 

I put 33 on 

Sometime in 2020.

Wait. 

Watch a man, 

Piss,

Against a van.

Wait.

Take the 5:28 M train 

8 stops.

To the heart 

Manhattan

14th and 6th. 

Wait. 

I could get used

To all these empty seats. 

What’s the city with no tourists? 

Wait. 

Just 

Wait

Manhattan. 

Just wait. 

A telegram to my evening subway line 

Dear J train 

How are you? 

Stop. 

I haven’t seen you 

Or your family 

In so long 

How are they? 

Stop 

I heard a rumor,

Z, 

Left the city altogether? 

Retired?

And that you’re 

Just a local now or. 

Or or or 

Or you’ve started 

Taking nights off 

For yourself?

Or was it weekends?

I can’t ever keep 

Track,

Of 

What your 

Doing.  

Stop

I’m sorry 

I’ve not seen you. 

Stop

Lately.  

Stop

I haven’t even been busy

Not really

I just 

Needed. 

Space. 

Inside the screaming worm, the dentist drill

(found poetry made from signage inside my subway car)

Do not lean on door

Do not lean on do

Do no     an      door

                         or

Emergency brake 

Emergency brake 

Riding or moving 

Between cars is 

Prohibited 

Emergency brake 

Emergency brake 

Open this cover 

Alarm will sound

Do not exit the train 

Emergency brake 

Emergency brake 

Emergency instructions 

Do not pull the emergency cord. 

Train crews can notify police en route. 

Emergency brake 

Emergency brake 

If you are qualified

Remain inside

Tracks are electrified

Emergency brake 

Emergency brake 

unless directed to 

do so by train crew

of emergency workers

Emergency brake 

Emergency brake