By J.J. Tindall
The Single Greatest Cab Ride in the History of the Free World
When you work there
On busy summer weekends,
The best thing
About Navy Pier
Is leaving it.
When I take the 29 State Street bus
To the Washington Street Blue Line,
I know a good ride
When I get one.
The artistry of getting a bus effectively
Down west Grand Avenue
Then south on State Street
Is a thing of rare,
Delicate beauty.
Accelerating, braking,
Ducking, weaving, feinting;
A highly refined art
in a big-ass bus.
Pay attention next time:
Look for smoothness,
No sudden braking, changing
Lanes with tight tolerances
And no real threat
To the public at large.
Occasionally, I will take
A cab to the Federal Building
To get my ass
The hell off that hectic Pier
And onto my train home west.
Yesterday, I met
A friend after my shift
And we hopped a cab
To West Town.
Straight shot down Grand.
When I’m guiding at the Pier
I always recommend cabs
For city rides.
Cabbies are often savants
With occult knowledge
And true sophistication.
They’re not teenagers
From Elmhurst
Relying on GPS.
You get in,
Ask for the Bean,
And they take you there
No questions asked.
Most cab rides are
Workmanlike, but yesterday
Was another glorious thing entirely:
Before we knew it,
We realized we were being hurtled west
By the very spirit
Of Jason Bourne.
It was magnificent!
Accelerating, BRAKING
Ducking,
Weaving, feinting, changing lanes with
Authority, over bumps
L
a
n
ding hard,
Horn honking as needed,
Swerving around
Scrambling careless bicyclists
And distracted pedestrians
(Sorry, fellas:
I’m on your team
Unless you’re cluelessly
Blocking my bus or cab).
Steve McQueen in Bullitt,
Roy Scheider in The Seven-Ups
Gene Hackman in
The French Connection.
Urban automotive professionalism
At its summit.
Older gentlemen
With scant white hair
And full beard,
An accent that I took
To be Mediterranean.
When it was over,
At Twisted Spoke,
I was like, “Dude:
That was a beautiful
Piece of work.”
They’re always startled,
Cabbies and bus drivers,
When you recognize
Their skills.
After the initial shock
of actually being appreciated,
He’s like:
“I’ve been doing this
For thirty years!”
“It shows!”
Last winter, when I
Had to commute
To Wheaton to see
To my ailing mother,
I couldn’t get a cab
From the Metra
To save my life.
Out there?
Ride-share.
Downtown, throw a bone
To the virtuosos
Of the streets.
Right now,
More than ever,
They need you.
–
J.J. Tindall is the Beachwood’s poet-in-residence. He welcomes your comments. Chicagoetry is an exclusive Beachwood collection-in-progress.
–
More Tindall:
* Chicagoetry: The Book
* Ready To Rock: The Music
* The Viral Video: The Match Game Dance
Posted on September 17, 2018