Afternoon shift’s over, tired as hell and waiting for the train,
No more peak hour, gone are the wild crowds, spared me from needless pain,
Checked the time, it’s six-thirty in the early evening,
On a winter night too, zipped up the coat it’s so fucking freezing,
Paced up and down that platform, train’s coming in ten,
Commuters sat on benches reading, texting or just feeling zen,
Some standing and leaning on posts yawning, that shit’s contagious,
Had me following suit like a hippo chillin’ in the rivers,
Everyone dressed for the cold, wrapped up like urban eskimos,
All but one big fella sitting by his lonesome,
Dressed in singlet and shorts oblivious to the cold and in the mood for mayhem,
Looked like a seasoned guest of prisons, maybe solitary confinement,
Was more Carl Panzram than Mr. Rogers, abused all that wandered close,
The body was built for war, dude was looking swole,
Bulging pecs and biceps, legs and calves were poppin’
Big ol’ keg in the middle, dude must love a drink or ten,
Unnerved the station staff with those bloodshot eyes,
That stink-eye ‘bout to be tested, the cops had just arrived.
They happened to be at the station, staff probably been snitchin’,
Eyed him with a sense of familiarity, that rap sheet must be longer than the Yangtze,
Made their way to the hulking monolith, 120 kilos and not afraid to use it,
Onlookers held their collective breath, that beast is fixin’ for a killin,’
Smart move to come in a small group, gonna take multiple dudes to tackle this deranged fool,
His eyes met theirs before the questioning started,
What he’d been doing? Is he impaired? Why’s he raging and belligerent?
The answers are short, sharp and slurred, dude’s on the verge,
Slowly he stands, cops now seem unnerved,
Questions come in all directions, this guy’s ‘bout to lose it,
Answers fired maliciously, laced with profanities, his eyes bulging out their sockets,
Agitation reaches fever pitch, the monster starts swinging,
The pepper spray was more decisive, he couldn’t finish what he’d started,
It’s St Elmos fire on this guy’s eyes, plans for destruction just went belly-up,
Still took three men to keep him down long enough to cuff him up,
Back to the slammer for the big fella, so much for tastin’ freedom,
Train arrived not long after, took my seat as it pulled from the station.