Not even here, on this
shared commute would they meet.

The man in overalls doesn’t bother
scraping layers of dry paint

from his fingers before biting down
on a nail. Though he wants

a little more room on the train
he will not get close to the three piece suit

hovering above him.
They rock for a couple of stops,

jacket swaying near stiff jean,
but nothing could make

the toes of the construction boot
and the polished wingtips touch.

Chelsea Celestain was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. She earned her MFA in Creative Writing from Emerson College, where she was an editorial assistant on Redivider. She is a Cave Canem Fellow.