“Under the City, 1992” by Gene Fendt

On the subway you see:
sorrowful, defeated, dazed,
a girl almost in tears,
dark hair hanging
over her face; the man
in a dirty Giants jacket
asleep at 5:15;
and in the next odd car
an ethereal beauty, turned
to see herself in the dark
glass, not yet aware
of the world, nor wanting it.

Gene Fendt is the Albertus Magnus professor of Philosophy at the University of Nebraska, Kearney. His first book of poetry, “Eternal Life and Other Poems” will be published early in 2025 by Angelico Press.

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