Initial Fare...$2.50

Each 1/5 Mile...$0.40

Each 1 Minute Idle...$0.40

Night Surcharge...$0.50

Plus New York State Tax Surcharge

And Gratuity

I kissed you in the taxi

As it sped through the oily watery streets

Of Lower Manhattan

Down alleys and avenues

Over jittery cobblestones

And jarring metallic manholes

Past Chinese restaurants

And spicy bodegas

Neon

From bars

Reflecting off of

Garbage cans

Papered lampposts

And meters

With bike parts attached and forgotten.

It was a cool night

The windows slightly cracked

The stirring bright city

Swept in

Taunting us

As the warm vinyl interior

Pressed against our exposed skin.

It got more passionate

At the red lights

Holding us captive

As the driver’s eyes

Installed themselves

In the rearview mirror.

I held you in that taxi

As it shot along a rainy highway

In Brooklyn

Past railroad yards.

We told the cabbie to

“Just drive”.

The spectacular lights

Would pop and sizzle

In the damp night air.

The world outside

The raindrop windows

Was exciting and alive.

We drove through the pulsing heartbeat

Of long tunnels

As ‘Pull Up To The Bumper’

Swayed it’s sexy beat over the cabbies radio.

Rastafari dread.

The pungent smell of Kingston sweat

And strong ganja.

He drove all through the night

Careening down unknown side streets

Passing Gypsy ghettos

Where yellow fires

Toasted worn weathered wrinkles

And bottles of hardened potatoes and apples

Warmed laughter.

We journeyed by shuttered carnivals

And closing taverns

Over long high bridges

Rusting in the salty air.

The taxi slipped down country roads

Winding intuitively

Beneath clustered trees.

You were asleep

Head secure against my shoulder.

We just had to get outta there.

Just had to get away.

We had no destination in mind

But only a taxi could get us there

And the fare was of no concern.