Tubular poesy
November 6, 2014 2:21 AM Subscribe
To help while away the irksome tediousness of the Tube, London Transport gives you Poems on the Underground.
Nice to see these collected.
They could do with proof reading though. E.g. here and here.
"Those are pears that were his eyes"
posted by iotic at 2:38 AM on November 6, 2014 [4 favorites]
They could do with proof reading though. E.g. here and here.
"Those are pears that were his eyes"
posted by iotic at 2:38 AM on November 6, 2014 [4 favorites]
They hand these out from time to time. I have a nice little booklet with a Charing Cross wall pic (those Mediaeval-looking ones) on the cover. New York trains also have poems posted in some cars.
posted by Partario at 3:45 AM on November 6, 2014
posted by Partario at 3:45 AM on November 6, 2014
New York trains also have poems posted in some cars.
That's the Poetry In Motion project-- that's how I discovered W.S. Merwin's poetry back in the 90's: Your absence has gone through me / Like thread through a needle. / Everything I do is stitched with its color.
posted by KingEdRa at 3:54 AM on November 6, 2014 [8 favorites]
That's the Poetry In Motion project-- that's how I discovered W.S. Merwin's poetry back in the 90's: Your absence has gone through me / Like thread through a needle. / Everything I do is stitched with its color.
posted by KingEdRa at 3:54 AM on November 6, 2014 [8 favorites]
"Those are pear drops that were his eyes. Nom nom nom."
FTFY
posted by biffa at 4:44 AM on November 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
FTFY
posted by biffa at 4:44 AM on November 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
Maybe it's my SoCal upbringing, but "Tubular Poesy" brings to mind something more like this haiku:
Whooooooaa*
Tasty waves right here today
Duuuuuuude*
*5 syllable words when pronounced correctly
posted by LionIndex at 4:57 AM on November 6, 2014
Whooooooaa*
Tasty waves right here today
Duuuuuuude*
*5 syllable words when pronounced correctly
posted by LionIndex at 4:57 AM on November 6, 2014
There are some bizarre misprints in there. The letters 'go' seem to have been taken out wherever they appear, so we have Donne wishing 'od morrow to our waking souls', Pope reminding us 'know then thyself, presume not d to scan', and Tennyson announcing: 'the year is ing, let him'.
posted by verstegan at 5:05 AM on November 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by verstegan at 5:05 AM on November 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
Oh god these are all so bad and I'm so embarrassed as a Londoner that they've been exposed here. If I have time today I'll track down and share some parodies so we can regain a little face...
posted by ominous_paws at 5:21 AM on November 6, 2014
posted by ominous_paws at 5:21 AM on November 6, 2014
And I've just realised I was thinking of a different, much worse sort of tube poem. As an apology I present the aforementioned parodies. Sigh.
posted by ominous_paws at 5:30 AM on November 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by ominous_paws at 5:30 AM on November 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
I want to read more of Anin's poetry.
Awesome concept, terrible execution.
posted by GrapeApiary at 5:46 AM on November 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
Awesome concept, terrible execution.
posted by GrapeApiary at 5:46 AM on November 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
I still remember
Everything happens all at once
We miss most of it
The pot boils over
And puts out the fire
from a similar type thing on a MARTA train in Atlanta in 1996. I'm all for this kind of public art.
posted by themanwho at 6:14 AM on November 6, 2014
Everything happens all at once
We miss most of it
The pot boils over
And puts out the fire
from a similar type thing on a MARTA train in Atlanta in 1996. I'm all for this kind of public art.
posted by themanwho at 6:14 AM on November 6, 2014
I still remember
"Everything happens all at once..."
Which I believe is by Laurie Duggan.
posted by aught at 7:21 AM on November 6, 2014
"Everything happens all at once..."
Which I believe is by Laurie Duggan.
posted by aught at 7:21 AM on November 6, 2014
New York trains also have poems posted in some cars.
That's the Poetry In Motion project-- that's how I discovered W.S. Merwin's poetry back in the 90's: Your absence has gone through me / Like thread through a needle. / Everything I do is stitched with its color.
And for a list of the NY poems, see here (and from which there are links to other US cities' PiM poem posters as well).
posted by aught at 7:27 AM on November 6, 2014 [2 favorites]
That's the Poetry In Motion project-- that's how I discovered W.S. Merwin's poetry back in the 90's: Your absence has gone through me / Like thread through a needle. / Everything I do is stitched with its color.
And for a list of the NY poems, see here (and from which there are links to other US cities' PiM poem posters as well).
posted by aught at 7:27 AM on November 6, 2014 [2 favorites]
...
Now from his pocket quick he flashes
The crayon on the wall he slashes
Deep upon the advertising
A single-worded poem comprised
Of four letters
And his heart is laughing, screaming, pounding
The poem across the tracks rebounding
Shadowed by the exit light
His legs take their ascending flight
To seek the breast of darkness and be suckled by the night
posted by oneirodynia at 9:12 AM on November 6, 2014
Now from his pocket quick he flashes
The crayon on the wall he slashes
Deep upon the advertising
A single-worded poem comprised
Of four letters
And his heart is laughing, screaming, pounding
The poem across the tracks rebounding
Shadowed by the exit light
His legs take their ascending flight
To seek the breast of darkness and be suckled by the night
posted by oneirodynia at 9:12 AM on November 6, 2014
Toronto had Poetry on the Way from 1998 to 2011, but it was pretty much a one man initiative that no one has tried to pick up again. Pity .
Poetry in Transit was launched in several Canadian cities in 2013, but only lasted a year.
posted by maudlin at 9:18 AM on November 6, 2014
Poetry in Transit was launched in several Canadian cities in 2013, but only lasted a year.
posted by maudlin at 9:18 AM on November 6, 2014
Poetry in Transit has been going since 1996 in Vancouver. They choose mostly recent work and only local poets. As a transplant to the area, I appreciate the insights into my new region and its cultures, even when the poetry doesn't resonate.
posted by congen at 9:33 AM on November 6, 2014
posted by congen at 9:33 AM on November 6, 2014
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