it begins without warning, in stations
where crowds drift in from scattered eras,
each carrying their own small weather,
each unsure why they’ve gathered at all
guards arrange the platforms into patterns,
rows held steady under civic signage
promising liberties no one quite trusts,
yet everyone steps forward anyway
beyond the barriers, the land shifts tone—
dark rails running out toward fir‑lined cuttings,
hands gripping luggage as though arrival
might grant a claim no border can confirm
shopfronts glitter along the concourse,
their polished windows staging a calm
that never reaches the fields outside,
where growers measure seasons by risk
travellers pause at the platform’s margin,
thinking through years that brought them here,
trying to read what lies past the timetable,
a knowledge held by those who watch quietly
distance folds the shoreline into shadow,
lights from the departing carriages scatter,
and something in the air steadies itself
as the train moves on and the world keeps shaping
.
-
Author:
crypticbard (Pseudonym) (
Offline) - Published: January 3rd, 2026 04:56
- Category: Unclassified
- Views: 12
- Users favorite of this poem: Tristan Robert Lange, Friendship
Offline)
Comments4
This poem Cryptic takes on various forms to me. At first I saw it as parliament itself then immigrants arriving in a new land of freedom then it seemed as a passage through time. In each occasion the uncertainty is marked and the doubt is evident. Time moves on and if we miss the train it is no one's fault but our own. Very nicely done my friend.
Love the interaction and the journeys that you have shared here. Always deeply appreciated 🙏🏻🕊️
You are welcome Cryptic. I am seldom right but full of thoughts and ideas
Why have they gathered? Verse 1. I dunno myself, not got the foggiest idea! lol. And how's that Summer going?
I could only offer a thought about Babel, on that point…. Babbling parlay, blathering 😜🙏🏻🕊️
My friend, this feels expansive and unsettled in the right way. It captures movement without certainty, gathering without resolution. The atmosphere carries quietly but firmly. Wonderful job! 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
A distinct feeling hat sometimes pervades the pre-writing atmosphere🕊️🙏🏻
Nicely worded
Thanks Friendship🕊️🙏🏻
To be able to comment and rate this poem, you must be registered. Register here or if you are already registered, login here.