Great Western Railway (Emphasis on the Great)

Dawn on a Train

This is the pay off for getting up so early and stomping through the empty streets of Exeter. For crawling out of bed wondering what I was thinking.

Speeding backwards through frosty fields.

Tea and a packet of crisps.

(There’s no tea like a GWR train tea).

Mist lifting off the rivlets coursing through the paddocks

The Devon flag laid out 

I love the feeling of having already arrived to my destination, despite being hours away.

Giving over trust to the tracks.

To the bare trees and bright sky

Cast with birds 

The stops gather people

And their stories

Books and head phones

Bags and worries

Sun glints plastic cups as a couple raise celebratory 

Early

Bubbles

Spire

Terrace houses

Allotments

Field

Shed

Station

Hills

Hills

Hills

Spire

Houses

Allotments

Field

River

Frost

Wide wet plains

It’s like scrolling. 

Mindless.

The Wiltshire hills rise up

The red dirt shifts to white clay

Running my eyes over the landscape

Like hands over a patchwork quilt

Snoozing,

The carriage mumbles 

Thrumming

Until the knobbles of small towns conglomerate. sticky dough.

Drawn in. Stretched out. 

Kneaded, bounding, breathing, rising city.

(Punch it to knock out the air.)

Draw in

“This is Paddington station.

Please take all of your belongings with you.”