somewhere before dark

with our

heads on a swivel,

thumb

on a cannister of pepper spray

and

our money

tucked away in our socks

or zippered

jackets.

we stand on the subway

platform,

carefully

looking around,

without eye contact,

not wanting to be pushed

in front of a moving train,

or jabbed,

we position ourselves

against a pillar

that indicates Rockefeller

Center,

the current stop.

if we make it,

we'll walk to Central Park

and grab

a bite to eat

somewhere before dark.