The Glow

Because the majority of a train ride is comprised of solitary individuals riding in complete disconnection with the tiny invisible barriers they have established between themselves and the next person, little communication occurs. It's as if at the exact moment these individuals board the subway their personality vanishes and they turn into a train riding stooge. Perhaps this occurrence is part of a New Yorker's survival method to preserve as much energy as possible for their often chaotic lifestyle, or perhaps it is simply a result of the basic primal fear that arises when one is shoved into an enclosed space filled with complete strangers. Either way if, on the rare occasion, one observes or shows signs of humanity during a train ride, its nuances, no matter how subtle, have the tendency to explode into moments of passion. I had to explain this fact to my current boyfriend who was upset that my last post involved falling in love with a stranger on the subway. I had to explain to him that in actuality I did not fall head over heels for the boy sporting similar headphones as me on the train, I simply found myself dreaming of a fantasy relationship in rebellion of the stooge-like hypnosis the MTA was overpowering me with. Better to date a woman who's alive and subconsciously promiscuous than a zombie-turned commuter, right?

Well, here we are. A spark has been flared on the train and this time I am merely an observer. I watch as the two people talk and laugh, she brushing her hair behind an ear and he leaning a little closer to hear. The two individuals look almost bathed in light, beaming like a light bulb has been turned on inside of them. They are bursting at the seams with a combination of like, lust, fun, and excitement because they have suddenly struck a chord during their conversation and flirtatious exchange that creates a delicious harmony. As we near towards the next station one of the individuals has to leave. Their goodbye commences without sadness, the excitement and brush with chemistry building to a level that as one swings through the sliding doors and onto the platform and the other remains seated on the train, you can feel their combined energy radiating throughout the whole car. This energy created by the two individuals can be described in only one way. As a...glow. A delicious glow. We zombies feed off of this glow and hope that it provides enough nourishment to carry us through to our next stop. Because not all of us are or want to be stooges. But sometimes to live vicariously is the closest we can get to living in the New York moment.