Poem: Voices On A Train

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"Voices on A Train"

Waiting at the station,

the train to take me home finally arrived.

It seemed different than every other time -

The colors were a bit faded,

The sounds were a bit muffled;

Maybe I was just tired.


An older woman sat in front of me

Looking out the window with a tense curiosity

That was all too familiar.

A little girl sat with her father across from me

And reminded me of how I used to annoy my Dad:

"Are we there yet?"


It had only been a few years, 

But I could only faintly remember him.

Both of us used to be different people.

Happier, maybe. More naïve for sure.

I was finally going to meet him and Mom that night.

For a moment, the train was all that existed

And I, a lonely traveller finding my way back.


Perhaps my soulmate was sitting somewhere in that train,

Waiting to make conversation with me out of boredom.

Perhaps my past was in the seat right behind me,

Waiting to tap my shoulder and look me in the eyes.

Perhaps Redemption was roaming the cabin,

Waiting to run into me on the way to the restroom.

Anxiety made a missed call on Obsession's phone,

Stoicism rested his head against the window with baggy eyes,

Regret said nothing, yet looked at me every once in a while. 


Then again,

Perhaps they were all just people on a train

Trying to find their way back

And I, a lonely traveller

Painting my metaphors onto them

Because I forgot my headphones in my apartment.

 

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