Small Vicrtory - Apr 7 2021

 

Small Victory

April 7 2021

 

I did not miss a step,

descending the stairs

and onto the platform

and through the open subway doors,

whisking closed

with a sigh of air

as I settled into my seat.

 

I was Moses, parting the Red Sea.

Or an ancient king

as the throng makes way

for his imperial procession.

 

It’s the kind of feeling that stays

all day

when the train pulls into the station

just as I arrive.

 

When the universe

is in perfect sync,

the stars wheeling

and the planets circling

and the city's choreographed beat.

 

When everything in my life

that came before

suddenly makes sense;

as if every wrong turn, and hesitation

bad choice, and broken shoelace

was intended to deliver me

to this precise moment in time.

 

We take consolation

wherever we're able.

The small victories

averted missteps.

 

The whoosh of the door

sliding open.

 

The vacant seat

welcoming warmth.

 

The indecipherable squawk

of the cheap loudspeakers,

like a familiar voice

ushering me graciously in.