Ride In The Subway For Twenty-Five Days Poem by Malabika Ray Choudhury

Drove for thirty minutes to Subway Station,
Took a train for forty minutes,
Got into another for only ten minutes,
reached Queen's Park.

Mornings are hectic,
found a seat beside the window,
looked at all the faces,
It was an university-bound train,
many young faces, fashionable jeans,
T-shirts with interesting quotes - from " life's a garden/dig it" to "Life is short/Talk Fast"!
Some other people heading to downtown
work-places; their faces were grim! were they having a fight with their bosses? And contemplating whether it was time to quit that job!

Wasn't extreme cold yet,
Only sweaters were enough!
A few private school kids in white and blue uniforms, with smiling faces - bringing a lot of joy to their parents - taking subway.

Carried a book about art history to read. She really should have read the book before visiting Louvre five years ago!
How many people read art history in the subway? She did, and enjoyed immensely, in between looking at all the faces she had never met before, and probably would never meet!

This happened for twenty-five days! Twenty-five days of her life she took a subway, and headed to a hospital where they treat cancer-patients! Read an art-history book in the subway, and slogged to the hospital imagining some day joining the universities around!

They treat the patients very well - probably
knowing  some of them won't be around for long!
Wrote to her brother - feels like they are my children! I am supposed to text everyone when I am here. What worse can happen to me!

Nurse told her - you don't need to take the subway, volunteers can pick you up! Mrs. Campbell  picked her up the next day - her husband had surgery for brain-tumour, he fainted while exploring in the rainforest! She told the kind lady - thank you so much. But I am still alright, perhaps someone else can use your help! The lady seemed shocked - You are from India? Do Indians get cancer! I hear they have turmeric every single day!

Twenty-five days! Twenty-five days were gone from her life! But there are many more days to come - she really enjoyed her ride in the subway!