Overheard on a Red Line Subway Car

Overheard on a Red Line Subway Car

It was on that long stretch

between Park Street and Central Square.

Staring out the window while crossing

the Charles River, I heard through

the din of yammering, a college kid say

a term paper is never finished, just abandoned.

I remembered the origin of that quote,

now a cliche, about writing a poem.

But it could be about the poetry of life,

maybe about our artful selves.

If we make a picture, cook a meal,

build a bird house or knit a scarf,

if we walk in the woods or raise a child,

at a point we must put aside the labor.

At Central Square I stepped out

onto the platform, climbed the stairs,

and continued my journey.

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A poem is never finished, only abandoned.

Paul Valery French critic & poet (1871 - 1945)

Entrance to the Park Street subway station where the Red and the Green lines meet.   

Entrance to the Central Square station.