Railway

Dark night a frontier of silence,

unmoving train, restless passengers

avoiding eyes,

waiting.

 

Night at the junction, stuck -

women talking in the next compartment,

no moon, one bulb in a railway hut

hangs coldly still.

 

"Chai chai". Up and down the corridor, tea, rice flakes,

sun cream, pocket calculators for sale on trays,

a little lad sweeping up crumbs

with a five stranded hand broom.

 

Civil unrest or a broken engine?

hints of dark times long gone.

Beyond the window

the lonely bulb unmoving.