Compensate

Leave earlier than you could ever anticipate.
Leave enough time for the train to change its mind,
switch direction, think: not London - Leeds,
haven’t been there in a while.
Leave before you’re ready, one lash thick
with mascara, concealor dots round each eye.
Leave time for the train to have a nervous breakdown
until the twitch you ignored erupts in a high-pitched scream
smash the glass, leave the train in cases of emergency
and leave the unattended bag alone
and keep your own case clutched close.
Sit next to a stranger. Any.
Pick one you wouldn’t normally talk to,
even a man in a raincoat will do.
Leave without saying anything:
it will be easier for everyone
if you don’t come back.