Subway Commerce
So I've been riding the A train lately
One of New York's express subway lines
Rolling up and down 8th Avenue
It's an eclectic mix of souls
Riding from Queens to Brooklyn
With Manhattan in the middle
You see everyone on the subway
And everyone has a story-
Some make it a point of sharing
With all of us on the A train
Like the woman this morning
Nicely dressed with ear buds
Who rather loudly announced
"Oh Lord! My pants are ripped!"
My favorite part of the subway though
Is the underground economy
Where transactions occur
Literally underground
From the guitar stars of tomorrow
To the assorted hustles and cons
It all takes place
On the cars and platforms
Of the 8th Avenue line
Tonight was a case in point
A guy walked the car
Holding valets loaded with vials
One over each arm
It was actually a pretty clever set up
He was selling fragrances
Strong fragrances
We're not talking Chanel No. 5 here
So he stops and chats it up
With the guy seated right in front of me
The guy takes a look
Tries this and that and then decides
He takes a vial
"How much?" he asked
Five was the answer
In hushed tones
Like the guy was selling contraband
"I've got four, is that good?"
With a nod-
The deal was done
Before he moved on
The guy gave his latest customer
His card with his website
Everyone is online these days
And he was just looking ahead
For that refill sale
As we pulled into the station
The buyer looked at me and smiled
"You never know when you have to smell good"
I looked back and smiled
"You can smell a whole lot worse for a lot more than four bucks"
Another happy customer
From the subway economy