Some of this has to do with the circumstances of my work
commute.
As a daily journalist tied to an evening deadline, I’m currently
obliged to take midday trains to Manhattan, and evening trains home. Off-peak
trains mean that I am typically able to get a seat and be alone with my
thoughts.
That means working in a journal. I either write notes about
books I’m working on or reading, or draw people who capture my imagination.
I call these images my “Track Work,” some over the years I’ve
painted or collaged … One day I will collect them and see what I have, maybe
put them on Instagram the way the kids do these days.
The other day I wrote a poem, that speaks to some of what I’m
talking about here, giving a sense of wonder I still feel thirty-one years
after calling New York my home.
IN THE SUBWAY
There is a joy to watching
out of town folks riding the
subway, making for a
fresh outlook
on just how unique
this trip can be,
a moment’s glance
and memory erupts,
a recollection of
my first days here
of first days everywhere,
the wonder that is
awareness of your surroundings,
the comfort that travel,
an open mind transports
mood, takes you away
to a new place where time
stands still, or seems to.
Next: Running for Your Life: Leafing It!
