These poems are a mixed bag, related largely by all having some connection to infrastructure and cities. This is a topic that means a lot to me, and I want to write more poetry about it, but it is not one where I’ve felt particularly inspired. The first of the poems, written on the train back to Los Angeles for my sophomore year of college, is largely about Caltech’s tradition of “tunneling” — illicitly exploring utility tunnels and machine rooms and roofs on campus.
The second poem, and perhaps the best of these three, is a short description of Los Angeles Union Station, written with a tinge of homesickness while in grad school at MIT.
Finally, “Transubstantiation” is an attempt to capture the transcendent understanding of cities that I on some level wish I could have, even though I know that it’s not truly humanly possible.