Vigil

There’s a train beneath your feet somewhere
It rumbles up through weathered boots and concrete
And a plane up above in the summer air
Your hear it approaching, you then hear it going

There’s a candle burning down in Newtown Square
Its wax melting into the paving stones
You’re on King St, crying, the cars rushing by
Wondering how any of us ever survive
The days we all feel so impossibly alone

There are flags waving in the smirking heat
They warble and waltz in the shimmering air
And a scene in chalk on the darkening street
You dance with the outlines, people stop and stare

There’s a fire burning down old Sydney town
The flames dancing right through the steel and stone
You’re on the 380, heading back from the beach
Wondering why everything seems just out of reach
And the old places now seem they never were home

There’s a fire that pounds deep within your chest
It’s a heart that beats just like anyone else
But you feel kind of different, like something has changed
These burnt out streets will never be the same
As you stand on the platform, waiting for your train

January 2020 Derek Wilson

~ by Derek Wilson on January 24, 2020.