As of late I keep noticing dudes lovingly stroking the poles on the subway as if it were their own phallus. It makes me throw up in my mouth a little, not because of what it seems to imply but because it takes me back to a story a high school teacher once told my class:
A homeless man boarded the subway with a rank and odor so pungent he befouled the entire car immediately. He readied his money-collecting device. His conduct was unlike that of the other panhandlers; instead of God blessing everyone and placidly soliciting his request, he made a threatening announcement that if he didn't get any money, he would reach down his pants and touch all the poles.
Although there's no need to start having phobias about the whole thing, it doesn't hurt to have a little prudence. People who are sick get on on the subway all the time. Some people who have no etiquette cough and sneeze with abandon like they are marking their territory. Children with their sticky little fingers touch everything. I'm pretty sure I've caught some colds riding mass transit.
If it's a short ride I hold onto the pole with my wrist or use my knuckles. If it's a longer ride I only use my left hand, never my right. Just because you can't see them doesn't mean they aren't there. Like
eyelash mites.
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