The Escalator
written by: Ian Fletcher
Seeing the bustling crowds
ascending the escalator
he felt a sudden kinship
as he descended past them.
“Old, young, rich, poor—
all are one.
Each bound to each
by our shared humanity!”
How had it taken him
three score years and ten
to realize this?
No matter.
He would carry on
buoyed
by this epiphany.
Reaching the bottom
his euphoria turned
to dizziness.
He clutched his heart
and collapsed.
The commuting hordes rushed past
for they had places to go.
The corpse was collected
and dispatched to the morgue.
The escalator
kept moving.
Born and raised in Cardiff, Wales, Ian has an MA in English from Oxford University. He lives in Taiwan with his wife, two daughters and cat. He teaches English in a high school. He has had poems and short stories published in Duane’s PoeTree, Tuck Magazine, Best Poetry, The Ekphrastic Review, 1947 A Literary Journal, Spillwords Press, Dead Snakes, Your One Phone Call, Schlock! Webzine, Short-story.me, Literary Yard, Indian Periodical, Anotherealm, Under the Bed, A Story In 100 Words, Poems and Poetry, Friday Flash Fiction, The Drabble, and in various anthologies.
Latest posts by Ian Fletcher (see all)
- The Escalator - March 23, 2026
- The River Han in Taichung - September 2, 2025
- The Verdigris-Coated Soul - May 17, 2025
