Poem for Display in a Subway Car

10 Responses to Poem for Display in a Subway Car

1. Fred Garber says:

   May 22, 2008 at 10:40 am

   Dave…you are onto something with this series…keep it up!
2. Joan says:

   May 22, 2008 at 12:23 pm

   We don’t have subways here. I was aware, however, that a third rail was the one responsible for both powering the train and yet lethal enough to have electrocuted many. I almost let it go as a hint of the ominous underbelly of both power and danger still present while we are tuned out. Luckily, Wiki came to my rescue again. It seems to be a full on political term, and we have candidates who are continually in danger of derailing themselves because of having to deal with these unpopular subjects. Why? Maybe because we aren’t plugged in to reality? “intravenous drip of distraction” What a line! Thanks Dave. Once again a seed of poetry bloomed into a whole tree of enlightenment for me. Between you and Wikipedia I may finally get a real education.

   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_rail_(metaphor)
3. Dave says:

   May 22, 2008 at 10:57 pm

   Fred – Thanks. I’ll try!

   Joan – I’m glad this took you in so many directions. That’s one scarily complete Wikipedia entry! Yeah, I did have the political cliche a bit in mind. I conceive it as part of the purpose of poetry to try to recapture metaphors from the death grip of cliches and breathe some life back into them.
4. Dave says:

   May 23, 2008 at 7:46 am

   Sorry for the series navigation link to a post that isn’t up yet. That’s a bug in the plugin. The post is scheduled to appear on Saturday morning, so it’s a link into the future, if you like. (I’ll be gone most of the weekend, which is also why I have temporarily removed the Recent Comments widget from the sidebar – I won’t be here to delete the occasional spam that slips through the net.)
5. miguel says:

   May 23, 2008 at 7:28 pm

   One of the loveliest experiences I had was in Boston back in 1988. It was winter and I was taking the Red Line subway home from my job in Cambridge to my apartment in Allston, Boston. As we passed over the bridge between MIT and central Boston suddenly the train broke down and we all sat there, on the bridge, with the view out over the Charles River. It began to snow. Twenty minutes must have gone by. Suddenly the train conductor over the intercom began reciting impromptu poetry about snow, the Charles River, about learning to see beauty in the midst of the daily grind of living. When he was done everyone in the train stood up and gave a standing ovation.

   That could NEVER have happened in Japan!
6. Linda Jacobs says:

   May 26, 2008 at 8:56 pm

   I love these poems and the idea behind them. I think I’m going to have my poetry-writing students do something like this next year. Thanks for the inspiration!
7. Dave says:

   May 27, 2008 at 6:27 am

   miguel – That’s great! And yeah, it’s that kind of occasional spontaneity and informality that almost makes all the cant about the Land of the Free seem true.

   Linda – Go for it! I’d be honored.
8. christine says:

   May 27, 2008 at 5:05 pm

   I’m glad to see mention here of the dreaded third rail. I’ve always had an inner terror of that rail, keeping well away from the edge of the platform just in case.

   Here you illustrate quite well the ways we distract ourselves, trying not to think about our ultimate demise. Great stuff, and a great project too.
9. Dave says:

   May 28, 2008 at 8:47 am

   Thanks, christine. Fear is always a potent source of poetry, I find.
10. Rachel says:

    May 29, 2008 at 8:20 am

    Damn. Nice work.