Poems in public places

In 1986, poems began to appear on the London Underground. Apparently, a couple of poets suggested it, and the Transport for London powers that be signed off on it, starting on a cold wet January morning. This has spread to other places.... New York, and Barcelona I have seen - but also Shanghai in mainland China and St Petersburg in Russia, not to mention Stockholm, Helsinki and beyond, apparently.

And much more recently, I started to learn about alternatives to Medium, and decided to sign up here.

The world revolves around learning the word for Thank You. We seldom thank those things we've come to take for granted.

Having moved away from London after some 30 years, I wanted to break that bad habit.

Thank you for all your efforts, Gerard Benson and Cicely Herbert. You have succeeded in spades. Here is one memory:

Poems on the Underground

How very pleasant it is to read

between the adverts for business schools

toothpaste, film premieres and laxatives

the occasional line of a favourite poem,

an intended sound -

A poem on the Underground.

I’m in a hurry - acid reflux - head suddenly bent

praying I’ll remember my argument

afraid of being late, breath coming fast.

Then death of fear stares back - a line of Carol Ann

up there next to the robo investment app -

everything else is praying - her radio’s prayer

(Radio four's shipping forecast ending in 'Finistere')

Mingles with the clattering, chanting

Of my Circle Line train, a familar line

Her sonnet-sound. Prayers in chorus.

Thank you for putting Duffy on the Underground.

 For those who don't often read the works of Carol Ann Duffy, she was Poet Laureate for a while, and the poem I refer to is a sonnet called 'Prayer'. It was one of the first 500 poems published on the underground. Here is a link to their site.