Forever
One of my favourite poems, I'm still amazed looking back that I was able to write something like this back then. I really like the way I managed to get the train-like rhythm going for the whole piece.
The train draws in with a clip clop clip clack,
As I stand aside, away from the track,
The ‘all aboard' call sees a mad rush of feet,
As space and time and fear do meet,
They rush to their seats these sheep of men,
Herded by guards to their place in the pen,
To sit and to jabber and talk of the weather,
Aboard the express to the place of forever.I'm led to my seat where I sit and I look,
To the lives of men played in the great story-book,
They sit and they laugh, they talk and they natter,
Oblivious to all, save their own body matter,
But it's meaningless you see, such a shame they don't know,
As they take the express, it's to death that they go,
I sit and I sigh, clasp my hands and do pray,
For the souls of my brethren, they know not what they say.They live for possessions and things they think real,
As time passes by, the great circular wheel,
Yet not all is so clear for we fail to see,
What waits at the end is e-turn-ity,
We just clasp our free tickets and endure the ride,
As the whistle blows forth from the dull platform-side,
And the train doth begin a path done many before,
With a clip clop clip clack to the place evermore.And I sit and I watch and I look and I cry,
As I leave the place of life, earth, sand, sea and sky,
And look to the carriage and those all around,
Together we sit as we leave mortal ground,
The guard takes my ticket before I can know,
And punches a hole and tells me to go,
Dry out my eyes and shed not a tear,
For those left behind and those I hold dear.For all must wait and in time take their turn,
Taking the train to their fates they must learn,
His smile did much to appease my despair,
For the briefest of moments my soul strangely bare,
Though this was not helped as the train started to slow,
I called to the guard for I wanted to know,
Why those all around me stood and got up,
And made for the doors that when stopped opened up.'But what about me? I can't let them go!'
I said to the guard for I wanted to know,
But he stopped and he stared as the train left again,
From the platform it moved my soul drenched in pain,
To see mothers and fathers and those left behind,
Their sorry sad faces, haunting my mind,
But the train did keep moving and the guard sent a smile,
And told me to sit and not tarry a while,
On thoughts of the sheep of the women and men,
Who wasted their lives given over to them.And not to others who all were in need,
On the edge of the night hungry mouths needed feed,
So I sat and I thought and I watched the clouds go,
And the stars and the planets to where I don't know,
As the train clattered on in the way that trains do,
To forever it headed, to eternity I knew,
To the heavens above, not the hells lying below,
Where ignorance drives all, for power and for show,
And I turned and I looked at the alarmingly few,
Who were left in the carriage and then at once I knew.That I was so small, so weak and so lowly,
Compared to the others as the train then did slowly,
Begin to draw in and approach the great gate,
Not a minute too early, not a minute too late,
We arrived at our time, just as it was planned,
By the Master who knew us back on mortal land,
He judged what we were, who we are, what we did,
And as the gate opened wide I felt like a kid,
As I gazed with wonder at the great cosmical ether,
To be home to the good, the great place of forever.