"Please stand clear of the doors,"
intones the recorded voice.
"You are delaying the departure of this train."

Oh, yea?
Well, maybe I'm not ready for departure…
Maybe I like this moment
between what I'm leaving
and what lies ahead…
Maybe the journey wasn't my idea…
Maybe I don't trust the train or the people on it…
Maybe they refuse to make room for me…
Maybe I'm carrying too many bags…

Maybe, just maybe,
this train needs to shut up and wait a few minutes
before it traps us all
and hurtles us into that dark, underground tunnel
on some undefined trip to God knows where…

Text and image © 2012 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved.