The Train Out of New York

If you take the train out of New York
You will pass a giant watermelon
That is called The Giant Brooklyn Watermelon
Although it is not in Brooklyn
But rather
Somewhere between Brooklyn
And Pennsylvania

If you take the train out of New York
Between four and five
On a Wednesday afternoon
You will see Pedro and Cassandra
Two lovers who eloped
So they could get married
In the greatest city in the world

You will see them standing
Standing in front of The Giant Brooklyn Watermelon
Getting their photos taken
Cassandra still in her veil
Pedro still in his tuxedo
And a puppy they've adopted
Who they'll name Kiko
Even though they're not sure why

If you take the train out of New York
Late at night, when you'll be alone
You'll see the city start to glow
A faint purple color
Like the color of a eggplant
A really good eggplant
And you'll feel warm
And safe
And glad to be going home

To Maine
To Denver
To Tallahassee
To Family
To Spouses
To Jobs
To The Unknown
To Disneyworld
To DC
To Boston
To Wherever

If you take the train out of New York
You will need to be blessed
By a priest in Grand Central Station
Who will try to convince you
Not to leave New York
Because you might not get to come back

After all
New York moves constantly
Like a shifting planet
Slowly in the universe
Though many do not notice

The priest has noticed
And he will warn you
That the journey back
If you ever decide to make it
Will be much longer
Than the journey away
And he will cry
And hug you tightly
And then let you go
And wave good-bye

Very
Very
Sad

If you take the train out of New York
I would recommend eating only soup
If one can really say they 'eat' soup
Because seeing the purple glow
Can
In addition to filling you with warmth
Make you slightly nauseous
When you realize what you're leaving
And it's best to stay on a light stomach
When you contemplate
Going where you're going
And the rate you're going there
And what might or might not
Or who or who won't be
Waiting there for you

Think about that

If you take the train out of New York
Your phone will delete all its numbers
And you will no longer know
Anyone you knew when you were in New York
You will try to remember the numbers
But then you will see Pedro and Cassandra
And The Giant Watermelon of Brooklyn
And wondering why it's called what it's called
And wondering why the newlyweds named their dog Kiko
Will cause your focus to drift
And before you know it
All the numbers will be out of your head
And you will never get them back
Despite creating facebook groups begging for them
Or looking through a phonebook
Or a book someone gave you
So that you could write down phone numbers
If an event like this occurred

Nobody is listed anymore
And you never did write anything down
Never felt like you had the chance
So both books are worthless
And life just got a bit lonelier

When you take the train out of New York
Passengers on the train will bother you
They will have crying babies
Babies that cry much louder
Than babies in New York do
They will talk loudly on cell phones
Much louder than even the loudest
Of the Loud New York Cell Phone Talkers

They will chew noisily
They will drop things
They will ask you questions
Personal questions
Political questions
Sexual questions
And you will move your seat
And they will follow you
And demand your answers
Of which you have none

Do you love your parents?
Who did you vote for in the last election?
What turns you on?

Why are you leaving New York?

. . . . .

If you take the train out of New York

There's a good chance

That it will snow

And you'll press your face

Up against the glass

And see the city turn to country

And the country turn to small towns

And perhaps back to city

But more likely

The town you live in

And you will get off the train

And feel like you never left

Your only reminder of the city

Being a bag of cotton candy

That you bought on Coney Island

Sometime last May

Who knows why you take what you take

And why you leave what you leave

And why you thought you could keep

So much more than you actually could

By just staring at it before you left

And saying to yourself--

'Keep this.'

'Remember this.'

'This needs to be kept.'

If you take the train out of New York

He will not be there to see you go

He will be at work

Making money he needs to make

Being a waiter at a restaurant

Where they serve gourmet cupcakes

And the children of celebrities dine there

You will be on the train

And he will be at work

And you will regret

Not having said hello to him

When you ordered your gourmet cupcake

He will become another item

In a long itemized list

Of introductions not made

Due to cowardice and timidity

And the train's speed will make the lights

The lights flashing in the windows

Project his face into your thoughts

And the smile he gave you

When he told you to have a lovely night

If you take the train out of New York

You can run away faster

Than even you had hoped for

You won't have to see what you've leaving

Because the train out is mostly underground

Until it's safe to emerge

Somehow the train will know

When that time has arrived

If you take the train out of New York

Your mistakes will evaporate

While the crying babies drown out

The sound of your phone ringing

Before the numbers erase

And the signal dies

If you take the train out of New York

There's a chance nobody will know you've left

And nobody will miss you

And you won't feel guilty

For having failed at starting over

For making so many people

Your second life guinea pigs

And for making that waiter think

You'd be back the next night

To order more cupcakes

And say hello to him

If you take the train out of New York

You can fall asleep almost instantly

Once the city has disappeared from view

And you'll see yourself in a tuxedo

And little Kiko

And the Giant Watermelon of Brooklyn

But this time they'll be tucked away

Safely in your dreams

Where they can't hurt you anymore

By making you feel like something's missing

The city couldn't give you what you were missing

And now all that's missing is you

But nobody has to know that

If you check the times

And board quickly

And grab a window seat

Feeling like nothing will ever

Take New York out of you

As you take the train out of New York