AT PADDINGTON 1958

A BOY AND GIRL AT PADDINGTON TRAIN STATION IN 1958

Paddington
train station
is busy

Lydia
and I walk
through the crowds

of people
passengers
and porters

with trolleys
and voices
calling out

about trains
smell of trains
smell of steam

of people
keep with me
I tell her

so she grabs
hold of me
by the hand

and we swim
through people
they pass us

or swim by
us quickly
hers hand's warm

inside mine
me thinking
us 2 kids

aged just 9
swimming through
this vast sea

of bodies
and their smells
high perfumes

or B.O.
over there
I tell her

on that seat
so we rush
to a long

wooden bench
and sit down
studying

the people
passing by
either way

whistles blown
loud voices
trains shushing

puffs of steam
and her hand
still in mine

holding on
her green dress
slight fading

her white socks
I notice
have holes in

brown shoes
have scuff marks
it's lovely

seeing trains
she tells me
all the steam

and the smell
and the sounds
yes it is

I agree
I tell her
and we sit

as the train
shushes loud
and pushes out

a monster
of blackness
the steam train

from the long
wide platform
out of sight

like some large
dark phantom
of the night.