Poetry in Motion, 100 poems from the subways and buses, edited by Molly Peacock ff, Elise Paschen and Neil Neches, with an introduction by Molly, who as president of the Poetry Society of America, helped launch the program in 1992. These gems, from poets as far back as Sappho to Shakespeare to Wordsworth to contemporaries like Louise Erdrich, have lowered the blood pressure and deepened the respiration of countless straphangers. Molly tells us, “We look for voices that will stimulate the exhausted, inspire the frustrated, comfort the burdened, and enchant even the youngest passengers.” Many of the poems reflect on travel itself, like Whitman’s Crossing Brooklyn’s Ferry, Nina Cassians’s Please Give this seat to an Elderly or Disabled Person, or Ogden Nash’s Riding on a Railroad Train. Ninety-nine poets are represented in this collection. If you’re taking a trip, put it in your bag.
