12 AM On A NYC Subway Platform
The 12 am train crowd in NYC hits differently. For safety reasons, I stopped taking the train past 10pm during COVID era. But maybe it’s the 3x Uber charge or the understanding of changed times that makes me more risk-taking and take the train at 12 am.
Emerging from Atlantic Avenue, the melodies of a musician-singer weave a romanticized backdrop around the five seemingly unremarkable individuals awaiting the train on the platform.There I am, an observer with fatigued and weary eyes, nervously pacing the platform. There is the old Asian man in his suit who whips out his alcohol bottle and takes a swig. A girl with curly strawberry-blond hair, elegantly concealed beneath substantial over-ear headphones, displays smudged mascara under her eyes — a look I’m not a stranger to. She leans against the wall with a deadpan look on her face, too deep in thought to care about any stares. There is a cute man in his late 20s who looks like he had two shots of espresso before coming onto the platform because his countenance and stride exhibit no traces of fatigue. Then there is the homeless person sitting on the bench with his large cart, continuously spouting out words in hushed tones, a sound quieter than I am accustomed to hearing on NYC subways.
The confluence of these sounds makes the somewhat desolate and somber setting into a more calming than eerie ambience. TThus, a tableau is crafted — a striking contrast to my prior perception of the midnight NYC crowd. The world’s changed demeanor is experienced within the platform.