Poetry

Poetry: The Lime Green El Train by Mark Tulin/Visual Verse

Many thanks to Visual Verse for publishing The Lime Green El Train in their June 2022 edition/ Vol. 9, Chapter 08. Much thanks to Reed Geiger for supplying this image.

THE LIME GREEN EL TRAIN
By Mark Tulin

In the subway of lime green,
life is a speeding train,
the translucent trance
of a screeching machine,
the timeless phase
of a purple haze

Where the rats scurry,
the stray cats howl,
and transients sleep on benches—
a mother and child stand behind
the yellow line, and an old man
weeps for forgotten dreams

There is no other option,
so we lean back and wait,
for the next opportunity
to take us back home—
leaving the rat race
for a quiet two-bedroom apartment

We are on alert, looking back
through the dark tunnel,
the express train stopping at City Hall,
then over rooftops and store windows—
we see neighborhoods passing
like shooting stars in the night.

I am an author, poet, humorist, and short story writer from Palm Springs, California. I write about various topics, from my early childhood in Philadelphia to my years as a family therapist and finally to my soul-searching in California. These are poetic narratives that may have humorous or serious content or both. Either way, I hope my poetry and stories resonate with you.

3 comments on “Poetry: The Lime Green El Train by Mark Tulin/Visual Verse

  1. Theresa

    Very visual, Mark. I get the feeling of the subway.

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