Poem of the Day 03.04.09

3 odes to the NYC subway system:

subway poem #1
(at 77th street/4th avenue, bay ridge)

bitch!
you’re going up the
wrong side
of the stairwell
on a crowded monday morning,
shucking, jiving,
making all of us do your
dance.
look, we need some
order
here,
damn it,
because we can’t get it up there
in the heartless metropolis,
so where else
is it going to come from
other than in these tombs
at this ungodly hour?


subway poem #2

yeah
yeah
i know i kicked your bag
but you had me cramped
in my seat
pressed
up against a metal bar
i couldn’t think
i couldn’t read
i couldn’t breathe
yeah
yes
goddamn, i kicked your
bag
getting off the train
motherfucker.


subway poem #3

watching
the sleepy-eyed
indian woman
as she stands
in front of
the fat woman
taking up two seats
on the r train
and berating her
husband

what is she thinking
about?