I take the metro to work every day, it’s an hour door-to-door but I don’t mind because I get lost in a book on my commute and the time passes quickly. Strange though it may be, I’ve written quite a few poems inspired by riding the train – I guess inspiration can be found anywhere. Last week I wrote this poem:

Reading Anna Karenina on the Green Line

Beside me on the train you sat,

Tolstoy open on your lap,

eyes flickering quickly across the page.

I glanced over,

eyes moving from my book to yours

as the train slowed to the stop.

You closed your book,

clutched it to your chest,

a sigh escaping as your eyes closed

in satisfaction.

I breathed in your exhale,

brought the unsaid words into my lungs

and fell in love.