An Indian Train Journey Poem by Sriram Sampath

Off to see my family of wife and sons
and sister, hers and my parents,
I boarded the train very eagerly,
Hoping the journey would end very quickly.



With a blaring horn, the train trumpeted loud and nice
showing off its importance lest anybody thought otherwise
warning people to get in or get out
depending on whether they had a ticket or not
everybody paid attention to their lot
and waved hands to those left behind
it left the station gathering speed
the people within beginning to relax indeed

some beginning to chat with their neighbours
some beginning to open their books
some trying to catch up with sleep

Then came the vendors with food
one by one they walked past crying out their wares
enticing people as if everything was good
and though a thousand souls were travelling at high speed
everything became as normal as it could be

I opened my book to continue reading it
as the gentle swaying lulled me to sleep
in due course I closed the book and my eyes
to dream of things I can only dream

Some gentle twig tickled my nose
to the smell of food I arose
a complex aroma of spices and lentils,
coconut and oil filled the train
all my neighbours had begun yet another feast
and though a thousand souls were travelling at high speed
life seemed as normal as it could be

I wandered to the doors of the car
standing at the edge and looking out far
to be struck by the beauty of the land
the countryside safely tucked away from civilization

Beautiful green mixed with brown and grey
with water here and there in blue and green
cows and goats grazing on pastures
on land showing off beautiful textures

a million soldiers of plantain trees
standing to attention awaiting battle cries
suddenly giving way to tall grass
of rice or other cereal swaying gently to the breeze
appearing as soft as velvet perhaps to a giant
with coconut trees standing guard
as if they were less precious and can be lost

Then an assortment of trees of varying sizes and shapes
different hues of green and brown carpeting the earth
with their shadows saving their mother earth
from the scorching hands of their father sun

The train blares its horns again
I hope in respect for the beauty it passes
the vegetation of the countryside
surpassing the beauty of anything else I know
even where man had not willed the growth
the shrubs and random trees that grow
present a beauty to behold, only the train journey can show

As the beauty whizzes past me
a few big buildings begin to appear
right under my nose I begin to see
growing heaps of trash and waste
plastic and paper compete for space
as the train slows down to stop
blaring the horn again to tell of its arrival
but civilization has announced its arrival louder and clearer

The word civilized means orderly and mannerly
definitely a mistake I think
for it represents nothing but the destruction
of God’s things – small and big, colourful and beautiful
for even the smallest of towns
bear testimony to the callous nature of humans.