In the subways I
I learnt to thrive
and you told me we’d never survive
grab your town’s handles we’re leaving
(we’re living
in a song
we’re living
in an arcade that’s out loud
that’s in there down there)
We’re moving past
we’re already passed
(there’s no such thing as staying
open
doors close anywhere around you
beware
of tripping fingers)
And all of the walls they built in the sixties never fall
and all of the art they built in the sixties never fall
(we fall on them
stick to them as flies attracted
primarily by colours)
Sometimes I can’t believe it
(and I don’t)
I’m moving into the night
(and as we fade we become
the same exact hue as
every other passenger)
BONUS TRACK (from 57,5 [ajku])
Ciel couleur métro
mes pas me mènent encore là
où je ne vais pas
*This poem was inspired by today’s dVerse Poets Pub and their inspiring prompt: Subway. As I am fond of my own town’s metro -Montréal- I wanted to share these poems and pictures (modified with Instagram) that represent it well. Please put some Arcade Fire and move to their sounds… as you wonder if you should fall asleep with the rumble or wake up with bright colours. And don’t forget to read other poets’ poems as well!*
(This poem integrates a few modified quotes from the song The Suburbs, by Arcade Fire.)
nice…this has a great pace to it…quick like the subway…my fav part is when the walls wont fall and the art wont fall but we fall…..really great progression through there…and i love parenthesis…haha
Thank you! The pace is best when you listen to the song while reading 🙂
There are so many layers to this.
I love the colour thread.
Thanks for the bonus track
and the music recommend!
;D
Thank you! I’m glad that you enjoyed the bonus track 🙂 Please enjoy the song too!
very cool…(we fall on them
stick to them as flies attracted
primarily by colours)… the architecture and art in subways is amazing at times…i wanted to do a subway art tour when i was in NYC but didn’t have enough time…the montreal subway sounds fascinating as you describe it here..
Thank you! Let’s appreciate this interplay of art, architecture, textures… and sounds, such as poetry! Thank you for such a great theme!!
There’s something romantic in this poem- something almost melancholic….about how the subway represents our wanted escapes, our similarities as humans as we all blend into one another- something about that dreamlike state when we travel- just semi- conscious.- grab your towns handles we’re leaving- cant tell you how much I love this line – excellent work
we live a song in the subway because of the rhythm and the drama
alive on subway senryu
very cool. Love the songlike quality to the main poem. The pics are fantastic and I, for one, love reading poetry in languages other than English. I have books of poetry I have no idea what is being said, but the way the words sound together is fabulous. And then with the invent of online translation software, if you care to know the exact meaning of these types of poems, you can get the gist of what is being sad. Really cool posting. Thanks
Thank you! I relate to what you said: The sounds of language, especially poetry, are fascinating themselves. And as readers, we can make sense of them in any way we want -that’s completely alright. I love it when people tell me they sensed/understood something in one of my poems that I had never thought of when writing. And thanks for the comment on the pics!