bronx new york botanical garden

commuter tide

Like a diurnal tide the Manhattan commuters

  Charging across streets and avenues in the morning

  Charging back again in the evening walking fast paced

Turn the sidewalks and crossings into one way flows.

You enjoy joining this short hurried race

Feeling the mass energy as you stride in step

A few minutes of exercise before sitting all day

Enclosed in your office cubicle in that steel and glass tower.

I  enjoy the trip now and then but it’s more casual for me.

I go to my office just twice a month

Working from home other days.

I witness this daily migration as a spectator.

Last night you told of the shared office stories

Each person recounting how they navigate the streets

Jogging across intersections as the light is about to change

Running a personal race against the clock and everyone else.

It’s fun and exciting being part of the throng

The double time marchers shouldering past

The gawking tourists jostled to the side.

Twice a day the midtown streets belong to you.

The bus terminal finish line buzzes with racers arriving.

So many buses, so many lines, so many departures,

You marvel at the organization.  And if there’s a delay

You marvel at how the people self organize their lines.

All these individual lives threaded together by the commute

Riding the bus has its unspoken rules you were quick to learn

A social activity that’s about moving many people quickly

While I telecommute and write this for you staying home alone.

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