two trains

south:

red line
longitudinally bisecting
bisecting the city
until you leave the city

south into the urbanity

where it forks in two
like a fork in the road
requiring a road map to confirm
reconfirm: to validate bearings

like the road map itself
bright red line indicative of
representative of an important
roadway intersecting with

intersecting with

the perpendicular red and blue solid
and black crosshatched lines
symbolic of this red line
left to points east: right towards the american archetype

or maybe a snake’s tongue

too much vanity and fear in the young man
(old boy really)
no questions asked continuing his ride south
to where he thought he was going

the train emerges from the bowels
of a successful 20th century capitalist society
into the harsh daylight
of a successful 20th century capitalist society

he’s lost, he knows it
he thinks he’s the only representative of
ambassador of brave new world ancestral migration
remaining on the train

they’re staring at him
boring holes in him
mocking him
them with their dark eyes

anger, amusement, resentment, curiosity:
who can say what the non-
anglo saxon mind
might be thinking

certainly not this old boy

outside, ruins of a society that used to be
desolation remaining
resulting from an unwillingness
to share

rejection of empathy

it wasn’t meant to end this way
his trip to the end of the line
was supposed to be
through better neighborhoods


north:

halfway across the human accumulation
of worry and regret
riding the evening commuter

it’s a quiet journey
punctuated by the rustle and snap of
journals, tribunes, times

serving crisp counterpoint to the
basso thrum of steel wheels
rolling on steel rails

no-one staring
they know he belongs here (or think they know)
understand their common objective

home without incident

nearing his locality of
shrubbery and unlocked doors
(not everyone of course: you can’t be too careful)

he feels the anxiety creeping
creeping (again) up the back of his throat
on its way to overwhelm his mind

same fear as before (as always)
but older, more worldly, fat
on a lifetime of unfulfillment

having to turn sideways to pass through doors

your safety is our highest priority
together we can make us all more secure
the recorded father figure smoothly entones

the statements a nightly mantra
an unachievable ohm
never within reach

not for him
nor for his fellow fortunate
on this ride home

safe. he’s back home safe