Poems: Edgewater Studio and mass transit by Lois Baer Barr

Edgewater Studio

Bless this early morning place, the whir

of the fridge, the whoosh of elevated trains

one block to the east, Peruvian coffee,

the long-legged writer who enters this storefront

quietly. He will outstep me for sure.

The little bathroom we help keep tidy

and the untidy row of our books in print.

Signs everywhere, from the prices

of artwork to the kitchen notices:

We do not want a mouse to be welcome.

I nibble on toast, daydream, and plan

what I’ll write later today.

Rush out the door to catch the “El.”

From Writers Workspace, October 2019

Published in Tracks: Poems on the “L,” Finishing Line Press, 2022

mass transit

assembled to ride

bundles on their backs

in their hands

phones kindles a binder

of choral music The Sun Times

one young man tries not to lipread

The Alchemist

they share sniffles and coughs

unscheduled stops between stations

tolerate a rider sleeping

on three seats

it’s twenty below so he rides

the train to stay alive

they offer me a seat I refuse

unless I’m scribbling

sitting is death

I ride the El

and feel alive

Bryn Mawr Station, April 30, 2019

Published in Tracks: Poems on the “L,” Finishing Line Press, 2022