On the subway, riding around straight through

I live here, but this is not

                                   My home

There were no seats when we squeezed in

Just four more bodies, as we were girls

Carrying luggage, suitcases, three men

Spanish, drunk, gave up their seats

        Gentlemen

        Give up seats for women, especially

                                                 the pregnant

None of us were, but that's beside the point

They didn't know I understood "Espanol pequeno"

Laughing and talking about

                                  "El ninas es stupida"

                                       In skirts

         Rude gentlemen, indeed

But who wears booty shorts on the A

Train, disgusting A train seats, germs on

Thighs, disgusting

There was a girl wearing them, oh, she was pretty

There was a boy with a skateboard

Pretty cute, but too involved in cellphone

A girl in a pink sweatsuit and pink

Earphones, young, maybe fourteen

Nine at night, do you know where your children are?

Little girl, why are you alone

On the A train

A very beautiful couple close, but so apart

When is love not love anymore, what can

Explain so many stories on the train

My sister says I'm racist (I'm not)

Some Asian woman was arguing with

Her- husband, boyfriend, significant brother?-

In Cantonese, then picking her nose

My comment: I hope she washes her

Hands or I'll never buy food from her

Chinese store

                  I'm not racist

                  Stereotypical maybe

                  But I love everybody

(I'll work on that)

A mother

          Singular

Her little boy plays a game on

Some device

She's so tired, man, she is

But she trained him well

Mommy says put the game away now

And he does

My sister refuses to look at me

Only because I'm busting out laughter

At some creepy guy, tall, with skulls and

Long, stringy hair

Laughter is stupid contagioius

And she doesn't want to

Laugh, too

The train empties

Significantly

It's just us and the creepy dude

(Skater boy got off at Beach 59th)

As we approach

                     The last stop

                                  Where I live

                                             Dead End Land

                                             Nowheresville

                                   A stupid little place

                                                Where I grew up

                                   The last stop

                                                     On the A train