Rush Hour Poem by C Richard Miles

Pulse after pulse drums its beat in the city
Throbbing like heartache deep down in its veins;
Globs of humanity cram into carriages
Until they emanate grey from the trains.

Bursting like bloodshed, they surge up the stairwell:
Spewed-out detritus of underground sludge
Some seep like slugs to the lure of the workplace,
Or headlong they hurtle to dullness and drudge.

Fast flows the river of jaded mundanity,
Thick fill the dustbins with discarded dreams,
Echoes of nightlife lay strewn in the gutter
Now morning has come and commonplace screams.

Surge after surge of disgruntled pedestrians
Pound up the pavements to slump through each door.
Safe with the knowledge that no-one now needs them,
Railways and thoroughfares rest, sleep and snore.

Slow mopes the morning rush; heartbeat has faltered.
Sidewalks sinks silent, as pace loses punch.
Bustling metropolis pauses a moment
Till famished citizens surface for lunch.