The Red Line to Ashmont

There was a time

When I saw the ring

That attracted me

To much bigger things.

It may have been

A building tall

With corporate names

On marble walls,

Or a bigger ship

In port that day

One that would take me

Far, far away.

I grabbed that ring

And held it tight

I rode that train

Through darkest night

I wore the clothes

I walked the walk

I took the money

And I talked the talk.

Now years later

I see I was blind

To better things

And simpler times

I needed it then

I do not now

But there was a time

When I would not bow.

I am a better man

Though I rationalize

I believe in myself

And that’s the surprise.

The ego’s gone

The man remains

A better man

With growing pains

But still…at night

While I ride the “T”

I think of that time

When I was him, not me.

Then I remember…

There was a time.

F.Thomas Crowley, Jr.

11/14/2012

On the Red Line to Ashmont