In this short poem by Ezra Pound, the speaker describes the faces he sees in a metro station. In doing so, he uses the term ''crowd'' to point out that the station is very busy. The word ''apparition'' (meaning a ghost-like image or person) contributes to the chilling atmosphere of the poem. This image is compared to that of ''petals on a wet, black bough''. By using this unusual comparison, the speaker conveys that people on the platform resemble flower petals on a tree branch after rain.