The train was late today, hypnotic with its slack return,
tardy on tracks anticipating, making no amends.

I teeter up the steps into its Herculean mouth
and find my place among its captives dazed by morning sun.

Defiant winter clouds, away they rolled through darkened night,
the new-born spring now unconcealed shined upon our day.

And pulling from its temporary stall, a jerk, push back,
no gentle abdication there, I cache myself within

your book, a salve for wounds, escape from cynical minds. I
free myself from stifled rank and file gleaning your words,

ordain my mind to fields beyond, drown out the clack and
rumble. My ride runs out, I stand once more, depart to ground

inert. I dash to meet delays, ordeals not my own.
The train departs once more, still late. I plunge into the day.

.
.
.

Author’s Note:

Today at NaPoWriMo our challenge for National Poetry Month is to write a “fourteener.” Visit the page to read more about that!

Our writing group also met with prompt in hand. My blindly chosen prompt was as follows. An opening line and seven words to include:

#6. The train was late today and it was always early…

ordeal
teetering
wounded
defiance
hypnotic
concealed
cynical

TADA! I combined the prompt with a “14er.” Please be gentle, I am recovering from the flu. 🙂