The Journey

It was a journey like any other, I
Sitting by the window, panes raised
Enjoying the rhythm of the iron wheels
Hitting the tracks with their heels.
Ahead, I looked at the expanse of green,
Wires knitting patterns against the sky,
The trees running by, in a rush, like they
Cannot stop, but would like to stay.
The sandwich seller on my side,
Called at me, but I could not break off
From the life I saw, absorbing the sight
That on every journey gives me delight.
Beside me there were others, but they
Cannot see what I see, indulging instead
In talk that meant something to them I know,
But to me, a distant hum; dissonant and low.
Someone shuffled a newspaper, next to me
Or a magazine perhaps, the pages crackling,
A small noise perhaps, but made me turn
The divine show outside, I did adjourn.
Looking back, I know not what it was
Was it that I was piqued at being disturbed?
Or, did I turn to look at the stranger who
Was smiling at me with eyes so true?
Have you ever felt a moment
That is so small but feels long, very long?
Swimming through time, like a comet, I
Felt my soul and heart fly
Towards a stranger I had never met
And never will, for the world is large,
So much that people you love are lost
In the realms of time, they never last.
That silent smile and the loudest eyes
They looked on at me, like I was looking
Into a mirror, at a reflection
Of my insides, with the same affection.
Within that moment, we looked
At each other, in a nascent direction
Until the screeching of the brake
Paused the journey with a quake.
Have you ever made bubbles in the air
You see them float, until they burst
And sometimes when you blow too hard,
They explode, just when they were to start?
Just so, it was the end of a beginning
Of what could have been, I do not know
The lost magic was never found
We left each other, like captives unbound.
And then, it was a journey like any other, I
Sitting by the window, panes raised
Listening to the rhythm of the iron wheels
A clock ticked in my heart, and all that it conceals.