Metro People II

A man
Eyes electric
His feet clip-clop
Down the dirty stairs
Shoes shined like those
Spotlights in his eyes

He carries his unicycle so that
The shower of sparks on the rail become
A magic show, screeching.

A rat that you know
Is there but can’t see
Is a rabbit crouching
Inside the magician’s hat.

That woman in her glitzy dress
Backstage before
Getting chopped in half.

That man muttering
Those drunk students
That staring stranger
A starry eyed and adoring crowd.

I tightrope walk. Trapeze, tiptoe
On music notes
Brushing past
I leap from point to point
A wordless flirtation
A homeless smell
A balance beam across the back
and shoulders.

A jerk, a rumble
A rattle
I explode into a thousand little mice
Little mouse-hearts beating in unison
With the clatter of the tracks.

Artwork by Lily Furedi "The Subway"