The Tube

Intro: a fairly short poem

There is who is going to work
There is who is running late
There is who has no destination
and is reading a book
There is the couple on a first date
There is you and there is me.

The loudness, the smell, the finding a seat,
the alluvion of people at peak hour,
the waiting and the running,
the generous and the courteous,
excusemes and pleases,
the hoodies, the tourists, prams and whistles,
waves and follow the sign.

There is a crowd and an empty wagon
a see you later and a kiss
There is the musician playing his song
the tie adjusted one way
and loose when coming back home
the group of friends sharing a laugh
and the visitor examining it all.

It is a tireless creature with mechanical beats
under the city serpentining tunnels in constant sway
marching in unison path.

Under this city, this London, my London,
for a time, today.