the one train

i entered the subway car tonight with a cold nose and dry hands. i was enjoying an andrew bird song when, several stops into the ride, a homeless man got on and started yelling about this and that. i turned up the volume like i always do when someone potentially(?) crazy joins us.

"this isn’t our song
this isn’t even a musical
i think life is too long
to be the whale in a cubicle"

everyone ignored him. everyone except the girl with the red hair sitting across from me. she turned toward him and scrunched up her face like she was going to either cry or make out with him. i wondered "What is wrong with her? why is she making funny faces at a strange man? is she bipolar?" i stared at her purple sneakers and blue tights. i pretended to read an advertisement.

then i heard something too random to ignore:

"ray charles rode in a cadillac, know why? because he was a romantic!"

rainbow brite laughed. everyone laughed. and just like that he had an audience. he talked about how we should "smile at each other," and "be kind," and "stop looking so angry all of the time." yes, it was a bit trite, but it's nice to brush up on the basic rules of humanity from time to time. and the fact that it was perspective coming from someone who appeared to have nothing made it all the more intriguing. it made me want to hug him. the man sitting next to me got so choked up he had to put his head down. then he handed the guy a couple of bills, stood up, and partially mooned us.

it's easy to find warmth underground.