On the train the woman standing

A contemporary author, Rankine’s work reflects her interest in experimenting with form as a vehicle for addressing social issues. This is illustrated by her publication history, which spans formal academic essays, creative and personal poetry, informal experimental essays, multimedia projects, and playwriting. In her essay writing, Rankine describes her intent to address complex subjects in new ways to lift up pervasive inequities in US society.

Rankine’s poem is a fitting example of her authorial intentions: It is a creatively structured prose poem that communicates an idea about race and racism in a new way. The lack of racial signifiers in the text is inconsistent with the other poems in Citizen; combined with the sometimes-interrupted grammatical structures employed by the speaker, the poem becomes more of an exercise in the intersection of form and meaning. This poem is a nod to other contemporary poets and thinkers exploring how to discuss issues that are silenced in US culture. The narrative is drawn more broadly—the scene could be “anywhere” (Line 17)—to be possibly relatable to anyone. Yet despite the more general language in the poem, Rankine is implying a particular racial dynamic, in which a white woman does not want to sit next to a Black man in a public space. This veiling of the meaning of the poem reflects Rankine’s literary context as a contemporary US poet.