Sunday, February 02, 2014

Poem: A daily pilgrimage


Here's a poem I crafted this week about my journey to work, enjoy!

Monday morning commuter train, 
Black Country to Birmingham. 
Twenty five minutes of heavy sighs and bleary eyes 
before we pour out of green carriages like treacle.

Broken footfalls echo beneath artificial lights 
as we ascend from sunken platforms, 
emerging into the pre-dawn city.

From shrouded buildings drills like Tibetan horns 
blare a booming call to prayer, 
summoning workers to their daily desk worship.

Over rippled granite slabs, 
chewing gum like candle wax 
dropped from a thousand silent pilgrims 
passing beneath an avenue of bare plane trees, 
their branches lifted in praise.

Up steps and through glass doors, 
into open plan floors, 
the pilgrimage-commute complete. 
Ready enough for another working week.

2 comments:

Stainless said...

Like it. Captures the grim ennui of it all.
Especially the (if you'll indulge me) "pilgr-imagery" and the candle-wax/gum line.
Tone reminded me of "Naming of Parts" which has got me through many dull meetings.

http://www.solearabiantree.net/namingofparts/namingofparts.html

L. D. said...

You writing is great. My son takes a train into Chicago downtown every morning and he describes them all looking like penguins as the stand in their trench coats deflecting the freezing cold wind as a group waiting for the train. You visually captured your experience very well as your readers travel with you along the way.