Day 29 OctPoWriMo
Prompt: Railroad tracks
Form: Free verse
The squalid, squat, sanguine structure
once busy and bustling, is now bleak
the surreality of the empty room envelopes me in desolation
waiting rooms used to be overflowing with people
now the vacant benches wait forlornly
pigeons parade on people-less platforms
no hawkers and no vendors screech
no jostling crowds, no luggage strewn around carelessly
the quiet, the emptiness cling icily to my soul.
Then the clangour and clamour of the chugging train
tooting twice tiredly
as it moves on the worn out waiting tracks that are
patient, prone and parallel
coolies are neither there nor required
as the few passengers have just a small carry bag each.
Masked I board the sanitized, slightly decrepit compartment
reminiscent of my childhood ramshackle trains
no air-conditioning, no rush, just a handful of passengers
surely not a childhood memory
as buildings and fields whiz past backwards
my hair is a messy bird’s nest in the breeze
I can feel my eyes smarting from grit
I am a ten year old asking my mom excitedly
” how far is nani’s* home?”
but there are no siblings, no packed lunch and eatables mom would carry
for the annual, long 36 hours journey
no easy banter with co-passengers
no running up and down the coach
no chattering away into the wee hours of night
ensconced in the coveted upper berth.
The barren stations stand stoically
the speeding lampposts have lost their lustre
I sit pensively, my book neglected, the song in my earphone playing unheard
hoping and praying nothing would go wrong
railway journeys are not the same anymore.
*Nani- maternal grandmother
Such a poignant and nostalgic poem Punam. Life has changed a lot!
LikeLiked by 3 people
Life has, Sadje! Thanks so much.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Youβre welcome my friend
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very true.. Still I love to travel in them, just to get drenched in that nostalgia.. Just to get my olden golden days back.. Depicted it all so beautifully..π₯°π₯°
LikeLiked by 1 person
Such wonderful memories of childhood na! Thanks re…π€π₯°
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ekdum..!!!! ππΌππ€π
LikeLiked by 1 person
π€π
LikeLiked by 1 person
Times have changed so much today…this beautiful poem took me back on the innumerable train journeys we had and beautiful nostalgia associated with it Punam π
LikeLiked by 1 person
Those were the days, Radhika! So happy it took you back!π
LikeLike
Beautiful nostalgia, you brought back memories of annual trip to my Nani’s through your poem, Ma’am. Times have changed, hopefully we’ll return to those times soon. π
LikeLiked by 1 person
This seemed a good time to refresh those precious memories, Aishwarya. Thank you. βΊοΈ
LikeLiked by 1 person
You are welcome, Ma’am. π
LikeLiked by 1 person
Makes you wonder what our journeys will look like in the future.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Certainly not like what it used to be . Or am I being too optimistic!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Who knows.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I sat with you for each and every part of the journey Punam. Quite descriptive that bought images to my head, Thanks for joining in π
LikeLiked by 1 person
Aww! Thanks Brian, for joining me in this journey. Always a pleasure to join in.
LikeLiked by 1 person
love the sounds tinkling thru this, the vivid images and the forlorn loss π¦
Can’t imagine any Indian railway station or train like this, not in a million years as they are/were the bustling hub of humanity …
LikeLiked by 1 person
Kate, that was for just a few weeks. Now it is, if not back to normal, the trains are pretty full.
Thanks so much.
LikeLiked by 1 person
what a relief … I often thought many lived on those platforms!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Punam, I have memories of several train journeys, and your poem brought them back to me. It sounds like the trains are not what they used to be. That’s sad. I know that the magnificent depression-era train station in Cincinnati, where I took my young baby, now 51, to visit my parents, is now a museum. Times change, but it’s nice to know that the gigantic mosaics glorifying American workers still remain in the historic train station in Cincinnati.
When I lived in Washington DC, Union Station was a historic station with a food court, shops, restaurants, magnificent party rooms, and a multiplex theater. We often took the Metro there and hung out on the weekends.
When we moved to Florida, we used to take the Auto Train to DC and drive to Connecticut to visit my inlaws. There were only 3 bunks, but our youngest daughter, now 29, was little enough to sleep on a king-size pillow on the floor!
Maybe the famous Indian railway will have a revival when Covid is over. I hope so! I have watched documentaries about it, and it seemed truly amazing! All the best! Cheryl
LikeLiked by 1 person
Cheryl, what lovely memories you have shared here! So happy you could take a trip down the memory lane. Such precious moments.
Yes, once covid is behind us things out to be back to the way they were.
Thanks a lot. β€οΈπ
LikeLiked by 1 person
So very descriptive, it took me right there with you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ah, great to have you! Thanks a lot.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My pleasure!
LikeLiked by 1 person
The alliteration makes this a tasty poem to read aloud!! Yum!
LikeLiked by 1 person
So glad you savoured it, Val!
LikeLike
Nice Blog.
airport transfer mauritius
LikeLiked by 1 person
https://writerairy.wordpress.com/
LikeLiked by 1 person
Just a piece of unsolicited advice, if you want others to read your blogs, you should read theirs and engage with them. Just dropping a link to your blog doesn’t help.
LikeLike
Thanks for advice.
LikeLiked by 2 people
You are welcome.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Memories of train journeys never fade. We (my cousins and I ) travelled 3 days to reach our ancestral home. We would play board games and read books. This poem resonates.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I totally agree, Usha! What fun we had on trains as kids. I am so glad it resonated.
LikeLike
I remember taking train from Bokaro to Rajkot. It took 3 nights and change of train 2 times. One at Tatanagar and 2nd at Bhusaval. Frustrating at the time, but brings a lot of memory looking back.
Well penned!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Deepak. Those were the days, my friend!
LikeLike