The Commuter Blues

I do like London so please believe me, my view of the city is more positive and rounded than these grey London-based posts suggest! When speaking to friends who have moved to London from elsewhere they have often grown hugely attached and fond of the city too. But the hardest adjustment?...it always comes down to riding on the tube. Here is a little ode to that...

The Commuter Blues

Noiseless, joyless,

blank pale moons,

eyes averted.

Making connections costs, apparently.

You can glance,

but when the other pair of eyes feel the glare and turn to meet you,

turn away.

Fight or flight.

Sometimes we want to chuck the balance,

throw in a spanner, see what happens.

Why are people so afraid of each other?

We all feel the urge to cut through the silence,

laugh hysterically on the platform,

ask a name,

stare at a stranger,

ask if someone wants to swap shoes.

See what unfolds,

carry the unknown like a trusted lover over the threshold into the known.

But I am the same too,

the risk of too many people,

of a fight, or worse,

of falling in love.

The risk of losing precious power,

of a disruption to our distraction.