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Our journey
So many obstructions and congestion
Is it a mirror of the traffic in my mind?
Is my friend the mirror who reflects that
traffic, her narrative different
We travel on the same train
Maybe stopping in different stations
looking at barren landscapes
going to and fro, to and fro.
We understand the scenery so well
Dark clouds above old sheds with roofs
of corrugated iron in parched fields
not knowing if there ever will be a harvest
We flirt with the thought of being
on a different track, travelling along rich
golden meadows and red ripened fruit,
The images vanishing on the horizon
Is my friend the mirror who reflects that
traffic, her narrative different
We travel on the same train
Maybe stopping in different stations
looking at barren landscapes
going to and fro, to and fro.
We understand the scenery so well
Dark clouds above old sheds with roofs
of corrugated iron in parched fields
not knowing if there ever will be a harvest
We flirt with the thought of being
on a different track, travelling along rich
golden meadows and red ripened fruit,
The images vanishing on the horizon
We don’t keep up with the
speed of our enfolding life
we sit in a silent space in a corner,
enjoying a quiche and cappuccino
speed of our enfolding life
we sit in a silent space in a corner,
enjoying a quiche and cappuccino
Meanwhile the blue, yellows and
reds pour through the window
and with wistful gentleness
we hug and continue our journey
reds pour through the window
and with wistful gentleness
we hug and continue our journey
You have written very movingly life's journeys! Makes me realize that though perhaps many of us travel a similar 'train' we look at our 'journeys' through different eyes. Your last stanza inspires me to see the importance of those hugs along the way!
ReplyDeleteI see a quantum shift in your poetic journey, Marja. The words and rhythm are so rightly said and universal my friend! So true: “We don’t keep up with the speed of our enfolding life.”
ReplyDeleteI love train journeys, and could really relate to this extended metaphor.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of us being a guide for loved ones, now sitting back out of the fray, enjoying the silence.
ReplyDeleteThis a stunning journey. For some reason the hug at the end was real and refreshing.
ReplyDeleteI think so too, much of life is what we see through the prism of our own experiences.. a mirror, an echo.
ReplyDeleteWe all know the saying "life is a journey not a destination". Well,for some of us it's a messy journey, one of "barren landscapes" and "parched fields".
ReplyDeleteFriendship helps overcome its obstacles.
I like it how a quiche and cappuccino and a gentle hug give the two friends in your poem the strength to continue their journey.
A beautiful,journey
ReplyDeleteHaving commuted for years and years that window gazing does indeed make us reflect on lifes journey too and curiously I still do it now, retired, eating my quiche and cappo watching the world pass me by as I look outside from there too.
ReplyDeleteA meaningful analogy. Well done.
ReplyDeleteThe journey is always a powerful metaphor. You used it well here in referencing the everyday in connection to perhaps some of the deeper questions we face.
ReplyDeleteLovely contemplation of life and we all are travellers.
ReplyDeleteOne can see so much from the window of a train. Even if the landscape is barren, it stirs something within us. May the ride continue for a while, at least!
ReplyDeleteThis is so incredibly moving!
ReplyDeleteYou are so clever to write poetry in English while Dutch is your mother tongue!
ReplyDeleteWe sight, we stay on this journey
ReplyDeleteMany have left in disdain,
we stubbornly sustain
We trudge along in life stubbornly just to stay relevant while many
are left behind on the wayside. Good observation Marja!
Hank
An intriuging write. Nice to think that our journey is enhanced by being shared, and may end happily with a cappuccino, a quiche and a hug!
ReplyDeletea very nice mix of the wistfulness of journeying and the mundane - "a silent space in a corner,
ReplyDeleteenjoying a quiche and a cappuccino"
Really enjoyed your poem
I like the optimistic and warm ending. A hug ,a capuccino and quiche in a silent corner and who cares if the world whizzes by you. You have the blues yellows and reds...everything you need. Lovely poem.
ReplyDeleteI can feel this being a trip that we are all doing... the tracks are laid and we have to do... Sometimes I wonder if there are any stops at all on the train.
ReplyDeleteHow I loved this metaphor--especially your imagery here--I am afraid that as I grow older my desire to slow down increases
ReplyDeleteIf loved ones (who love us back) are ahead, it seems we are walking the right path... I like that.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fabulous poem about our life's journey....I do think sometimes of being on a different track.....where would I be now. But then I come back to the sights and sounds of this life. Really beautifully penned!
ReplyDeleteDonna@LivingFromHappiness
That hug at the end said it all - a loving way to end an extended metaphor. We all journey through life, we all journey someplace....the imagery in this is evocative and moving.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful poem! Esp. I love the last 2 verses about paying attention and enjoying the little things as a coffee and nature.
ReplyDeleteFor what i's worth, those little hugs in life go a long way
ReplyDeletemuch love...
An eloquently rendered extended metaphor. The final stanza wonderfully evocative. Lovely writing!
ReplyDeleteLove the journey, the use of the train as metaphor, and the friendship explored. Well done.
ReplyDeleteVery thoughtful... beautiful...loved the last stanzas more...I think life is like that...
ReplyDeleteIt seems the protagonist and their friend were able to see past the dark clouds and corrugated iron to make the most of their journey together.
ReplyDeleteAh, the metaphor of train journeys - and you capture it beautifully in your poem Marja.
ReplyDeletewow...i just loved it.life is a journey,its full of challenges but we must go on.
ReplyDeleteMost excellent!
ReplyDeleteSuch great analogies here on living and life and how we navigate and travel through it..
ReplyDeleteSo enjoyed .. xxx Your poetry just keeps getting better and BETTER. xxx