4.8 • 1.2K Ratings
🗓️ 15 December 2022
⏱️ 5 minutes
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Today’s poem is Self-Portrait With Woman On The Subway by Hayan Charara. This episode was originally released on March 2, 2022.
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
0:00.0 | I'm Adeli Moe, and this is The Slowdown. |
0:18.1 | Right now, public transportation feels a little unsafe due to the ongoing pandemic. |
0:24.0 | Still, there are times I think fondly of the New York City subway. |
0:28.6 | How even if you weren't paying attention that much, you could still arrive anywhere with a story. |
0:36.8 | Some story was always unfolding on the subway. |
0:40.6 | Once I watched a group of friends rushing to the train and one guy couldn't get his metro card to swipe, |
0:48.0 | and he just yelled very dramatically, |
0:50.7 | save yourselves. |
0:53.0 | I still think about it. |
0:54.8 | Also, they did. |
0:56.6 | His friends left him. |
0:58.2 | I have no idea what they were late for, but they did indeed save themselves. |
1:04.8 | And the conversations I've overheard still delight me. |
1:09.3 | One friend pointing to another friend's very, very tiny umbrella and saying, |
1:14.6 | oh my God, that umbrella is so small, did you find that in your drink? |
1:19.8 | And one man saying to a woman, |
1:22.2 | but if I'm taking antibiotics and probiotics, |
1:26.2 | is it like I'm taking nobiotics? |
1:30.3 | Everywhere there are stories, sometimes good, sometimes scary, |
1:35.8 | but watching and listening to strangers is a way of life on the subway. |
1:41.0 | You keep your distance, yes, but you are also attuned to the unfolding narratives. |
1:47.7 | And sometimes you're the story, whether you like it or not. |
... |
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