The Festival of Lights (a poem)

[First published on a Babylon 5 (televised science fiction) message board December 7, 1999.]

It was a quiet day at the office—until the boss called in from the road at a quarter to 5, asking for airplane tickets for tomorrow morning at 7
Oh, well—what’s a little overtime between friends?
Finally free, I went down, down—first down in the elevator, then down again into the subway
A quick ride, a quick change of trains, then
Under the river and through the air, to hubby and son I go
As the train emerges from the tunnel and becomes an elevated subway, an oxymoron if I ever heard one
The night plays tricks with Plexiglas
I see the blue-lit factory windows shining through the subway windows from in front of me
While, from behind me, the lights are reflected in those same subway windows
Looking through the windows into the distance, I enjoy the gorgeous view
The night skyline, a sight for sore eyes even after all these years of living in the city
There’s the Chrysler Building, all lit up, the top of the building looking for all the world like rows of shark’s teeth
The Empire State Building, always lit according to the season, mocks this Jew celebrating Chanukah with its red and green Christmas lighting
The windows of the subway car give a double view
The buildings on the outside, the people on the inside, mirrored
Lights, everywhere
Standing at the back of the car at the door, I look through its window, watching the conductor in the next car stick his head out of the window of the conductor’s booth at every stop, making sure that no one gets caught in the doors as the train speeds out of each station
Here’s the most brightly-lit of all of the above-ground stations on this line
Two more stops
The doors open, and I suddenly realize that my knees are cold
Tough!
The doors open again, and I step out into the chill night air
Visions of Chanukah candles dancing in my head


December 29, 2005: I'm happy to say that the lights on the top of the Empire State Building have been blue and white for the past few nights. Happy Chanukah to all, and to all a git nacht. :)