Judy Tweddle
Night Train
I am the station come and gone.
I am the duskwhite dayfree donkeys browsing railway weeds,
the abandoned rustred, dustred carriage, clangdoor silent now,
I am the pinkshirt man, pedalling home on an upright bike,
I am the buffalo in the shadowed pool,
I am the sorrow of the left behind.
I am the whitebeard Muslim man,
folding my cleanness for the morning,
climbing into bed,
laying my smile on a borrowed pillow,
settling to dream of Gloucester and Gujerat.
Tomorrow the Hindu bootmaker from Agra
will shake my hand and call me brother,
I am Ishmael on my travels,
I am at peace.
I am damask drapes,
I am bags, stowed and full of promise.
I’m the sandaldrop twitch of dirty feet,
I am the chai man,
the quiet sweeper,
the spicerich picnic,
the whispering group,
I am a small hand, dangling.
I’m on my way to Barush, Paroli, Kosama and Kim.
I am the night train to tomorrow,
to tomorrow,
to tomorrow,
the night train.
Page(s) 19
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