Short Takes on a Strange Place--Part 4

Suck It In

suck in waking up

suck in the day

suck in the East

suck in heavy air

suck in stress

suck in people

suck in exhaust

suck in desperation

suck in sadness

suck in loss

suck in humanity

suck in pathos

suck in carcinogens

suck in fuel

suck in smog

suck in body odor

suck in stinky butts

suck in bums

suck in hipsters

suck in douchebags

suck in assholes

suck in rich bitches

suck in hurrying

suck in accents

suck in hallobosh

suck in trash

suck in pain

suck in light

suck in dark

suck in heat

suck in cold

suck in imperviousness

suck in potholes

suck in poorly maintained bridges

suck in bridge tolls

suck in cell phones

suck in stepping in shit (dog & human)

suck in steps

suck in claustrophobia

suck in agoraphobia

suck in OCD

suck in food

suck in grease

suck in floating hairs

suck in time

suck in taxis

suck in shitty drivers

suck in shallow people

suck in halal carts

suck in street meat

suck in hot dogs

suck in bulldogs

suck in buildings

suck in post 911 crap

suck in America

suck in Europe

suck in jackhammering

suck in dripping water

suck in pointy shoes

suck in big sunglasses

suck in having lit cigarettes thrown at you

suck in black

suck in white

suck in green

suck in yellow

suck in loud talkers

suck in loud televisions

suck in buskers

suck in bass levels

suck in artists

suck in posers

suck in gangstas

suck in baaada bing baaada boom

suck in bustin' my chops

suck in overused East Coast phrases

suck in lawyers

suck in Lexington Ave.

suck in snobs

suck in subways

suck in street vendors

suck in overpriced water

suck in tourists

suck in i Pods

suck in fashion

suck in United Nations

suck in dubya

suck in stoic faces

suck in no friends

suck in half thoughts

suck in repetition

suck in loneliness

suck in death

suck in alienation

suck in dissenting

suck in murder

suck in ghosts

suck in heartache

suck in earache

suck in sore feet

suck in haggard faces

suck in healthy faces

suck in coughs

suck in lines

suck in Brooklyn

suck in Queens

suck in Manhattan

suck in drugstores

suck in being elbowed

suck in religion

suck in faith

suck in quick fixes

suck in

suck in reality

suck in night

suck in half sleep

suck in troubled dreams

AND

suck in sucking in

Short Takes on a Strange Place--Part 3

The Stink Bomb

The daily ritual,
the routine as it were.
Walk the 15 minutes passed
the same houses, the same trees
the same sounds of early morning.
Pretty much always the same,
with no deviation, no variables,
nothing extra to throw into the mix.
But today, oh yes, today you were there,
throwing the ultimate monkey wrench
into the mundane routine. You were
the stink bomb.

I got on the subway, like always, the E express
train heading downtown. I was shocked
to see that the car I got into was oddly
empty. But I soon found out why. You were there,
hunched over, grey, ragged clothing, bearded face, resembling
some kind of ancient miner or old prospector from the
early 1900s. I couldn't even believe that you were here on
this train in these modern times. You seemed so anachronistic
against the backdrop of modern advertisements and iPods.
But the way you looked was superflous, for the horrid wreak
coming off of you was intolerable. I noticed it right away, like walking
right through a piss waterfall. My god, it was foul.
You sat, not noticing the grimacing faces around you, the
people covering their noses and cowering on either end of
the packed car. I was one of them, and believe me, you were
the foulest smelling thing I had ever encountered.

I chuckled to myself when the train reached another stop, prepared
to take in a whole load of people standing on the platform. Upon entering
most of them took one look at you and exited immediately, some just
sucked it up and walked onboard with eyes watering, and no doubt
noses burning. You continued to sit there, hunched and wreaking
havoc by not even really moving. It was so strange how
I started to get used to the smell, but then all too soon another
wave of rotten stench came forth and all hope was lost. I noticed
one of your pant legs was tied up at the ankle, I could only assume
that you shat yerself and the excrement was settling comfortably
down there on your leg. I couldn't stare anymore, I couldn't breathe
anymore. But there was something fascinating by the way you took
over the train, it was as if you were a "stink terrorist".

Who would have thought that one person
could command so much attention by just smelling badly?

Perhaps you've cleaned yourself now, I really hope you have. I hope never to
encounter your overwhelming horrid odor ever again.
I end with one question, however; how the hell did you manage to get on that train?