subway epiphanies

G.E. Baxter

G.E. Baxter
Birthday
January 29
Bio
E⋅PIPH⋅A⋅NY 1. an appearance or manifestation, esp. of a deity. 2. a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience. 3. a literary work or section of a work presenting, usually symbolically, such a moment of revelation and insight.

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Salon.com
DECEMBER 29, 2010 7:07AM

My Old Love

On the 4 I sat next to a man whose face I never saw. At first there was space between us, but as the train started to fill, he moved closer to me, and his arm touched mine.

The way he sat, a subtlety in his posture, made him look like he… Read full post »

5 Comments
DECEMBER 28, 2010 11:24PM

New York City Kids

I watched a boy who had to be seven negotiating the corridor at West 4th heading toward the downtown trains. He was wearing a jacket and vest, a little man, and I followed him, looking for his mother as we walked. Soon I saw he was alone. He had the same… Read full post »
4 Comments
DECEMBER 28, 2010 12:42PM

How We Get Home

 

On the A at Canal a tall black man with rainbow colored dreads wearing glittery spandex camouflage, big sunglasses and small dolls hanging off his person carried a saxophone onto the car.

He positioned himself directly in front of me then made his announcement to the train:

"Ladies and gentleman… Read full post »

3 Comments
DECEMBER 27, 2010 4:53PM

When We Become Visible

I thought she would be dead before I got up to the street and tried the hospital again. Georgia had been hit by a car and was in a coma.

In a city as crowded as New York people learn to give each other space, mainly by not looking at them. Especially… Read full post »

4 Comments
DECEMBER 27, 2010 8:18AM

Who is Delaying Us?

By the time the express gets to 125th street the train is almost empty even though it starts out at Hoyt totally packed. I usually wait till a less crowded one runs through, but this morning the rush wasn't abating, so I got on and stood in a small space near… Read full post »
12 Comments
DECEMBER 27, 2010 2:43AM

An Abiding Sandwich

She was Jamaican and her accent was pure, thick. She was the only one speaking, and we all listened passively as she referred to a yellow spiral notebook and interviewed the woman next to her. "Take a look at your life now. Do you think it's better-"

The rest/… Read full post »
2 Comments
DECEMBER 26, 2010 11:18PM

The Artist

 

Rush hour at 59th on the 1. A normal train, with all of us agreeing to be quiet. Then he stood up.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm an artist. A poet. I'd like to share something I wrote when I was incarcerated."

He was standing in front of me and I looked up… Read full post »

5 Comments