Girl On the Train

by Mad Hatter - Capricorn


I see you ever day
on the train headed
into town, on the way to work
and sometimes on the way back;
our eyes meet once in a while,
the hint of a shy smile
dances on your face
now and then, though
I don’t know if it’s meant
for me, or just a reflection
of how you feel at the moment.

You always sit by the window,
near the back.
You get on a few stops
ahead of mine, when you
can still get your pick of seats.
I grab what I can, or stand,
but I always try my best
to end up in your line of vision.
I like to start the day off
looking at you, studying the
way the sunlight sparkles
off your golden hair,
how your sleepy azure eyes
brighten as you ease into your day,
how your full ruby lips part
as you laugh silently
at some private joke
or at the memory of a lover
stumbling into buried treasure
on a map you drew with the “X”s
all marked perfectly,
yet still he almost missed his cue.

I don’t know what you do
or have any idea of your name,
yet you amaze me all the same.
One of these days, I tell myself,
I’ll sit or stand next to you, 
if the time is ever right,
or when I find my courage,
fat chance of that happening
before my first cup of coffee.
And maybe I won’t, after all;
the sound of your voice
could be all wrong, 
too high and squeaky
to withstand critical scrutiny;
I imagine you whispering,
smoky, sultry, seductive, 
or innocent, tender, a little naive,
all the more alluring for being so.

Now we pull into the first downtown stop,
You get off, and disappear into the crowd
I stay on, get off at the next,
lose myself in the flow of work 
and the loud buzz of the city 
as morning blends into afternoon;
I know that soon
I’ll see you again
tonight or tomorrow a.m.
after the sun rises
or the rain pelts the windows
of that next early train.
Birth sign: Capricorn
Date created: 2002-01-08 01:06:04
Last updated: 2021-03-03 14:45:33
Poem ID: 66597

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