Just A Peek

In Cairo, northeast of the Nile River, the diesel locomotives never ceasing pace shrieks at break neck speeds. For dear life, they hold their position. Pass by in a few secs. Easily, one slip could cause bodily harm for their stunt of survival in a millisecond. There are no doubles if they fall into trouble. Movements with force stay on course as riders multiply at the stations from hidden hectares deep within the inner city. The high-pitched friction gnawing the polished silver rails strikes the eardrums like lightning. Like a rumbling storm of industrial steel wheels and springs you hear it before it arrives. All aboard the rolling thunder. No matter how frequent it passes by it’s a surprise. The concrete flats quake as long as the length of tethered train cars blitz to the next stop. It’s diesel fumes fuel a brown haze. Trees sway in toxins backed by backlit sun rays. Cover your mouth with a scarf. The heavily used workhorse of the Cairo transportation system is fiercely strong and thick like the military walls fortifying the largest city in Africa.

At peak hours, high ridership density packs people into limited spaces. Make room for more. A young male wearing a red shirt dangles outside the open train window cheerfully making gestures at someone down the line. It’s a peek into Egyptian lives without ridicule. Here the study depicts the struggle and strain amid the commute. And yours is much better, right. Trains, cars, microbuses, motorcycles and tuk-tuks try to relieve the severe congestion upon the road systems in a city of twenty million inhabitants. Income levels do not weigh enough in pounds. Four grown men feel the body pressure impact their position at the open stripped blue paint doors. They seem to handle each other with care as they are pushed up against one another. Egyptians heavily use all nooks and crannies of the train. Inside there is joy and anguish. Outside between the cars exists a creative space. It’s going to be okay. The safety measure is looking out for one another. No accidents today, everyone made it to the next destination. Creative riders outpace the train in capacity and continue to live this way.