My friend Wade Wofford wrote the following poem during his morning commute on the A-train, a day after New York City issued its most recent terror alert - I thought it was great...
halfway through a day's commute
i noticed the number in blue
& this morning's space
suddenly made sense
the others are in cars,
afraid
risking the bridges or staying home
last night's newscast came not as a shock
this terror a constant threat now
today made more tangible
by tom brokaw & lot
but we americans must have our green paper
we must eat
& pay the lords our tax
not going is a luxury we don't afford--
at least not these.
looking about through white eyes i see
the others are white in only that light
the important folks in their cars
working from home on shiny laptops
we here can't afford
the A hits Penn
& pins drop over the sigh of brakes
we dart quickly at exit
a deft habit left not in safety
the line builds
the stile turns
the targets file
the neighbor steals my place.
& then air
the sweet stale sniff of trash
we the shoving survivors of another day's commute
October 7, 2005
