The El Emerges

Watching from a window overlooking the el station

 

The El Emerges

 

The el launches – metal and stone

snake anchored deep in Manhattan’s

bowels, its teal paint marred in burnt

sienna rust, creepy skyward.

 

Dyckman station empties its ant

people from dark door mouths. At first

they scurry out in great pushes –

overheated pinballs pinging

up, across and downhill, dribbling

out stragglers like the last popped corn.

 

Past passengers shower the street

with urgency, hurrying hard

across Nagle, their brows furrowed;

others stroll happily with their

co-riders, or stare inside

at private thoughts. The human stream

spreads slowly through soot scarred city

streets, merging into the gray day.

Reviews

[Gandré]

a wonderful urban poem of my hugest and only love new york city.

For people rarely smile,
Being urban, squat, and packed with guile.
from "The Old Vicarage, Grantchester" (1915)

[Sean Allen]

Well David,
This is quite amazing. I'm glad that it was recommended.
the descriptions are perfect...pinballs and popcorn, ant people.
Sort of a divine creation story... and after spewing forth it's creation, the El rested.

[Krystal Waters]

hold on

[Krystal Waters]

I liked this... trying to do something for you... hold on

[Inmate 72866]

A very good poem. Descriptive. The only thing that would have been more clear would have been an actual photograph. I love poems about the city. The ambience has so many layers. You capture so many in your lines.
Dyckman station empties its ant
people from dark door mouths. At first
they scurry out in great pushes �
overheated pinballs pinging
up, across and downhill, dribbling
out stragglers like the last popped corn.
I really love that last one, "stragglers like the last popped corn." The juxtaposition of the rush of the city, but seen from a distance, somehow comforting. Good work.

[Ron Cole]

I worked for over a decade for a New York firm, and spent many days in your executive capital of the world (and have some marvelous memories from there, although the firm could never coax me into taking office and living in NY or Manhattan)! Comparing the masses exiting the station to a snake is appropo; as a crowd, they seem to move almost as one, with singular purpose! You have created excellent word pictures here, and even given the masses a song of their own! Much genius at work here!

[Kara Emily Krantz]

what a view of this scene.. nice job.

"dribbling
out stragglers like the last popped corn. "

what a great image

[Paul Grimsley]

this really did paint a scene in my mind. kind of like lowry transplanted to the states. i could smell and taste that kind of metallic thing you get in cities. made me feel homesick for a city.

[Krystal Waters]

What a view! I liked the way you put the imagery in there. Ants... it does look like that from afar.... and there are so many personalities... some angry, hurried... others not a care in the world... I liked the scene. Put me right there at your window looking down and seeing the sight.


Krystal