Train Journey Poem by Gene Starwind

Poking and picking at yellowing teeth
Sharpening formidable nails - obsessively
His table strewn with odds and ends
His keys and his phone, things from his home

A gaggle of women all speaking aloud,
Catching up, swapping their tales
Romance in France, the heat of Bordeaux
boys on the beach and the alps in the snow

And the cute little boy with the high-pitched voice,
who remembers the buildings outside
Pointing with pride
His mother holding him tight at the waist

And across to my right, a sleeping beauty lies
Rosy red cheeks and a bag at her side
Sun-kissed locks, draped at the sides
Breathing as soft and as slow as a child -
Baking in the heat of July