Underground Moments...
I've been darting around on the tube rather a lot over the past couple of days, so you'll have to forgive me for rambling about it on the blog too..!
It's just that there's been a few moments on the underground I wanted to tell ya about...
First off I bumped into my brother's godfather's nephew (bit of a mouthful that one) yesterday on my way to Old Street. Barely recognised him in a hat, the other side of the carriage. I ended up holding a coversation from one side of the carriage to the other, with about 30 people in between.
That's one thing about the tube, no-one else was speaking to each other, so it was deadly silent in there! I was carrying camera equipment and had to dash off in the end, without even being able to offer a handshake, but it was cool all the same.
Secondly - well actually, this happened before I bumped into my brother's godfather's nephew (!) I was navigating my way to the Northern Line when I heard the most beautiful rendition of The Beatles' song Here Comes the Sun deep in the underground tunnels of Waterloo.
The sound grew louder as I approached, and somehow the echo of the corridors just made the song fuller, like the notes were swirling around and adding to each other. The sun was shining above ground, and for a second it felt like it was shining below ground too. The guy was finger plucking away and had a huge sign saying 'SMILE!' so I did and gave him 10p for his trouble..!
Then this morning I was reminded of another thing I really like. It's when you get to the underground and you've got a 2 minute wait for the train. Everyone stands there on the platform, waiting, browsing through the newspaper, some chatting (if they know each other, this is London, people).
It often strikes me that these 2 minutes are free time, time when you're not squeezed into a carriage, or trying to dash up some stairs or through crowded streets. For those two minutes, time stands still as I wait, and think about my day.
Before a light comes from the end of the tunnel. People inch nearer to the platform edge, and the motorised whirr and clank of the tube comes clattering past. Then it all starts up again. The machine, the city.
posted by The Scribbler at 11:24 AM
3 Comments:
How poetically thoughtful - will remember to stop and think if I happen to find myself on an underground platform – inbetween panicking and hyperventilating that is...guess who!? ;-)
You cheap-skate, 10p!! The man gave you a wonderful moment which clearly uplifted you, so much so that you wrote about it (although that's not a sign of quality though is it?!!!) and you could only give him 10p!!! You should go back, hunt him down even, and give him at least another 90!!
I thought 10p was ok actually. If he earned 10p a minute, he'd be on £6 an hour - and my pleasure lasted around that length of time!
BTW: I don't get any payment for writing this blog!
Although whether it uplifts anyone at all is a totally seperate question...!
Post a Comment
<< Home