Friday, May 8, 2009

Urbane Nightmares

Dark...

Cramped...

Immobile...

Sounds of restlessness surround me. Impatience builds to desperation, and soon we are clawing at the walls.

A subway car can be a nightmare. Subterranean conduits propelling workers, warriors, queens and drones to and fro in the colony that is New York, subway systems have some amazing advantages. The release from the responsibility of defensive driving and the fear of DUIs are incredibly compelling, but what price freedom?

In the winters, we shuffle around like penguins in mass exodus, traveling across the frozen tundra, huddling together underground for warmth, hoping our neighbors won't notice us snuggling just a little closer. In the summer, the locals resemble satyrs more than humans, violently emerging from the sweltering below, sweaty and full of rage from having to put their face in their neighbor's foul underarm to inhale the fragrance of commuter freedom.

Is descending into the abyss, unsure when or if you will emerge, worth it? Only if there is a hot meal, cold drinks, and great friends waiting on the other side.

-The UE

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