Car was packed shoulder to shoulder when the lights blinked weak and died
Metal screamed itself to silence in the middle of the underground ride
Somebody cursed in the fucking darkness, somebody laughed it off too loud
Heat rose up from the track like a secret under the crowd
I pulled out my phone on reflex, bright screen my little shield
Watched the battery drop percent by percent like a slow yawning field
No signal on the status bar, just that empty mocking frame
All my little escape hatches gone in a wire and flame
Stuck on a dead train in the tunnel, nowhere left to run
Face full of strangers, miles away from the sun
When that last bar on the screen finally slips away
All that’s left is your thoughts and the rest of your fucking day
Guy in the corner keeps hitting refresh on a frozen app
Girl in worn-out sneakers fighting tears in her lap
Couple arguing softly over rent and who’s to blame
Old man humming something ancient, not caring about the blame
Message from the boss half-typed, “I’ll be late today”
But the signal never grabbed it, just hung there in gray
I pictured his office window, his watch and narrowed eyes
Funny how a broken subway feels like career goodbye
Stuck on a dead train in the tunnel, nowhere left to run
Face full of strangers, miles away from the sun
When that last bar on the screen finally slips away
All that’s left is your pulse and the rest of your fucking day
Emergency lights flicker on, dim red down the line
Makes every tired face look like a warning sign
Overhead speaker crackles with another canned excuse
While time drips off the ceiling like a rusted fuse
Kid starts asking questions no grown-up wants to hear
“Can we get out and walk, is the train gonna stay here”
His mother fakes a smile, says “We’re fine, just slow”
Her knuckles white on the handle where the worry won’t let go
When we finally lurched forward, whole car let out a breath
Like we’d all outrun some small invisible death
My phone died at the station just as we saw the light
Left me staring at my reflection like a stranger in white
Stuck on a dead train in the tunnel, nowhere left to run
Face full of strangers, miles away from the sun
When that last bar on the screen finally slips away
You find out what you’re worth in the dark with no display
Tag
Turnstiles spit us upward into sirens and noise
But I still hear that quiet where the world lost its toys