Light Rail Confidential is a column written by anonymous ASU students who share their experiences surrounding public transportation — namely, the light rail. It is managed by journalism junior Danika Worthington and illustrated by kinesiology junior Rachel Ganger.
When the light rail glides
down First Avenue
past the Circle K,
she doesn’t look.
Every day, she turns her body
to face the opposite direction
or wrenches her eyes tight,
barely visible behind
don’t-mess-with-me glasses.
She doesn’t look strong enough
to kick someone’s ass.
I’ve seen her painstakingly write
directions for a deaf woman before.
She flinches when dogs or men
or teenagers board the train.
I’ve seen her clench
at the hem of her shirt,
seen the anxiety curl in her belly
where the streetlights don’t reach.
“Everything’s fine
if the train stays on its tracks.”
If anything goes wrong,
it’s the other person’s fault.
I’ve seen her fall in love.
It takes being seen
to be worth
someone noticing.
Contact the columnist at ddworth1@asu.edu
