Silence on a Train

Oct. 25, 2012

Silence on a Train (Yay! More Train Poems!)

There's an astounding silence on a train,
     floating between the dozens of people per car.

Crowded day
     and we're shoulder to shoulder,
Sharing the air unwillingly
     with moms
     with dads,
     sisters and brothers,
hundreds of relations
     we can't begin to unravel.
We bunch like birds,
     standing lock-kneed,
          doubling over in chairs,
               killing ourselves to keep from touching.
Everyone holds their breath
    against each other,
The bizarre social circumstance of strangers.

A passenger lets his skateboard drop
     KA-KLACK!
The whole car jumps,
     save for a few deafened veterans.
The boarder just smiles
     and hops off at the next stop,
leaving us with our dying laughter
     as the silence resets itself
          and gains control again.