A stretch between the C and the R trains
Where thousands of commuters
Pound the slimy concrete
Here
In this strip of tunnel
Lined with colorful iPod ads
Christians peddle the Bible like a shoeshine
or a cheap plastic pink bubble blower
Pamphlets in hand, booming voice
GOD WILL PUNISH THOSE WHO ­DESERVE IT!
Reverberates in the skull
Mixing with the crammed math problems in my shiny pink brain
Scientologists sitting on fold-out metal seats
Advertising “Stress Tests” to the curious
Stack of information papers to the left:
What is Scientology?
Ready to pounce
Man swathed in white robes and sandals
Catches pedestrians
Who dare breathe a sigh of false relief

I see the steps to the C train
Uptown and the Bronx
Look behind me to the flood of extremists
A strip more jam-packed than Vegas
More flashy than the Times Square lights
Flashing up above.