In a Station of the Metro

THE apparition of these faces in the crowd;
Petals on a wet, black bough. - Ezra Pound

       Public transportation is a way of life. It is also an appropriate means of getting from one end of the city to the next (especially when you do not drive). It can also be exhausting, tedious and long. But when you have to head to work, school or probably anywhere that is worth being (unless you live in a really cool studio apartment in the heart of the city), the STM will likely be your best friend (or enemy in all the glory of its unreliable schedules). It sometimes feels like I live in a metro cart (I don't, I swear). To prevent it from draining my soul, I always try to bring a good book with me. It helps pass the time and is a great way to commit to that novel lingering by my bedside that I can never quite get through. If you are not that big on reading, I recommend filling your phone or iPod with music. Public transportation can be a great way to catch up on your favourite bands' new releases. Right now, I've been listening to In Colour by Jamie xx and How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful by Florence and the Machine. A comfortable pair of headphones are key to drowning out the bustle of every day life and escaping into the world of your favourite tunes!

       If you like to write and if the concept of public transportation inspires you, I recommend carrying a pen and notebook in your bag. There was something about early metro rides, icy bus stops and moving vehicles that I found particularly stimulating in my Cegep days. It was on buses and metro carts that I got most of my writing done. And thinking. Public transportation can inspire a lot of thought. Maybe too much. In a solitary space of music provided to you by your trusty headphones, it is not uncommon for the mind to wander to far off places. Dangerous ones, maybe, but creatives ones nonetheless. Music, combined with a set of unusual and eclectic looking people before you, can entice the mind to create, spin and entangle beautiful words and ideas together.

       I often found myself (and still sometimes do) wondering what the person beside me was feeling as he casually rode the early bus in the morning, making his way to work, school, maybe even home. I wondered what occupied his mind. Did he, too, feel the stillness of the moment, the melancholy nature of the very act of sitting or standing? Did he feel happy, or was he sad and worn-out? Most of all, did these feelings belong to a routine? Did he ride the 6:54 am bus every morning and feel too much at once? Too little?

       You might not have any of these thoughts. You might be able to zone out for 30 minutes or an hour. In that case, relax, read, listen to music, stare into space, scroll through your social media accounts or get lost in a book and you'll arrive at your destination in no time!

-Mel