Trying to Leave the City

The light is too bright for us,
even here in this underground
tunnel, we don sunglasses for fear
lightning will strike and for days,
we’ll see nothing else but dancing
spots, jagged rainbows, wriggling
worms and fish scales; our vision
smeared with thumbprints
we cannot wipe clean.
We pretend we cannot hear
the screams, slumped against
the wall, feet firmly planted
on the tiled platform, always
waiting for the next train.
Everyone else’s leaving the city;
carriage after rammed carriage
whoosh past, the hot breath
of the backdraft warning us
we’ll need to pick up our bags
and start moving again soon.