Subway Exit by O. Louis Guglielmi
Sunlight beats on my skin.
I see the sky at last.
Underground terrifies
me. The subway headed
down the tunnel of dark
makes me nervous, but Ma
is late and she doesn’t
care that I’m scared. We rush
through the crowds of people.
She grabs my arm pulling
me to New York City.
My feet hit the concrete
steps and my hand brushes
across the iron railing.
I can see it! I can
smell the fresh air! Oh God
smell the fresh air! Oh God
have mercy on us this
day. Maybe Ma will find
a job and we can eat
tonight and tomorrow
and I won’t have to take
the underground again.
I really like the idea of telling the story of the painting from the kid's point of view. The repetition of "Ma" and the child's anxiety about adult subjects works so well. One suggestion: he's relieved by the sunlight, but if you look at the painting, the sky is a gray-blue, dark, and doesn't actually seem to suggest sun. Would it be a more complicated poem if, when he emerged, there was no relief?
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