A Poem | by Me

"Lovely Unhappiness"

The sun has disappeared
behind a blanket of darkness.
Floating orbs of orange light
hovered above tall silver posts.
The city is different at this hour.
Over the hill, out of the abyss
emerged a large rolling heap of metal,
rectangle in shape, long in length.
Stopping before her,
the doors opened with a hiss.
She felt its anger; she knew she shouldn’t board.
“Welcome aboard the MTA,”
an automated female’s voice called out to her
catching her off guard. She paused, mid-step
on the threshold for a moment.
With a shrug of her shoulders she took a step up.
Shuffling her feet, passing the standing cold bodies,
she found a seat, the perfect seat
in the far left corner, a place of good view.
The sudden propulsion threw her back.
Adjusting herself, leaning against the window,
she gazed out.
Ahead of her,
the outlines of tall, cloud sweeping buildings,
and checkered windows.
One lit, one dark and the pattern repeats.
She passed a neighborhood left in ruins.
Uncut grass stood like disheveled, spiked hair.
Letters of belonging scribbled on the sides
of fading red, brick walls.
The material remains of a playground
caught her ever wandering eye.
Broken swing seats, slowly swaying,
hanging from rusted chains.
The sweet smell of wasted alcohol tickled her nose.
The sound of hyena-like chatter brought her back in,
where an argument over space took place.
She blinked twice, then looked beyond
the budding narcissism with a smile upon her lips.
Complacent with the vacancy of her surroundings
and the vacancy of the minds surrounding her
The normalcy of the everyday
It’s her routine, what she was use to.
“Stop requested,” the female automated voice said again.
She stood, gathering her senses and stepped off.
With another hiss and a roar, the metal heap rolled away.
The heat of the exhaust caressed her face.

*another assignment for my poetry class due tomorrow. She wanted us to write about my take on society, human nature, routine and all that jazz. This is what I came up with.*

UPDATE: after a talk with my mother she thinks I should title it something simple. "Night Travels" cause that is what's ultimately going on.