Posts tagged train

I am on the train, going home from Keith’s. Outside it is chilly, but not too cold - just enough to make the warmth inside the traincar noticeably pleasant.

The thought crosses my mind that trains are more interesting than car drives in a few ways. You encounter people on a train. There are dozens of them on this one. Students, workers, artists, partiers.. people who identify as many different things. All of us are together for one brief moment. For a time, we are all going the same direction at the same speed.

For some, the train is almost unbearably slow. It is inconvenient, unreliable, and generally an obstacle between them and their destination. To others, perhaps the ride is a brief respite; from the cold, from isolation. Here on the train is a small community, however ephemeral, united in their mutal travels.

The train suddenly halts, I hear a horn. A car drove across our tracks suddenly, and we nearly hit it. Thankfully, we stopped in time and no one was harmed. A few passengers comment to the conductor on the stupidity of the driver we nearly slammed into.

A couple is making out, the man across from me is staring blankly into space. The girl next to him is looking at her nails. The girl next to me is listening to her iPod. But we are all here in this moment.