Fast flowing

He would clamber to the
anonymity
of the upstairs
climb into
a book until it was time
to disembark

no one noted his comings
and goings
he had succeeded in becoming
invisible

the youth at the back
did not notice his back stiffening
as he yelled into a mobile
about his bitch

he would squeeze into the tube
and attempt to read his paper
while arms pinned him into
a small corner,
which left only a small corner
of the newspaper for him to read
again
and again

gasping for air he emerged from
the underground and lit a cigarette
letting the swarm of commuters
weave around him
as if he were a large stone in a fast
flowing stream