POEM ON THE TRANSBAY TUBE On the train I’m always looking for a distraction from the train, speeding through a tunnel underwater—from my fear that the tunnel will fail and we will drown. All day I’ve been thinking about the body, about our beautiful, singular bodies, looking at the veins on my forearms, my underdeveloped muscles— how could any of this ever protect me?
The transmutation of a person on a train, speeding through a tunnel, to a shot bird spiraling to the ground is unforgettable.