guy eating grocery store sushi
on the midnight d train
it’s midnight on the d train
which means this city’s turned back
into a rotted-out pumpkin
there’s a man vaping
making the train car smell like strawberries and weed
another guy is drinking
a gallon of whole milk
and spoon eating peanut butter out of a jar
someone is playing tinny 60s soul out of the phone
normal shit
if you live here
two people are on the train in tuxedos
with large instruments in large bags
and i’m guessing it was a hot night
at carnegie hall
occasionally someone screams bloody murder
then there’s a ubiquitous guy
preaching fire and brimstone
and how we’re all gonna burn in hell
the guy sitting next to me
he’s in a three-piece suit
eating grocery store sushi with chopsticks
out of a small plastic container
there’s a mini bottle of iced white wine
resting right next to him to wash it all down
he might be
the strangest thing i’ve seen on here in a long time
and one time i watched a guy take a shit
i can’t help but side-eye him as he eats
fascinated by his dexterity
and the delicacy as each bite enters his mouth
feeling a surge of calm in me
for the first time in months
thinking, okay,
maybe new york city
could give you heart disease
drive you crazy
or give you cancer
but anywhere else on earth
will just bore you to death.
John Grochalski is the author of five poetry collections, three novels, and the novella Wolves of Berlin Play Amateur Night at the Flute and Fiddle Pub (Alien Buddha Press 2024). He currently lives in Brooklyn, New York.
