6:26am Train

Cherry
Poem of the week

By Mark Burrow

Tue, 19 Dec 2023
  • 1444 reads
21 comments
 

Hunched across two seats

bare red feet on show

skin peeling, swollen 

hood yanked low to the nose

a rucksack used as a pillow 

plastic bags stuffed in gaps 

a man sleeps

or pretends to

on the early morning train 

seeking warmth, shelter

before a guard 

orders him off

although, of course

there's nowhere to go

Certificate PG
Other
Other Fiction

Comments

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

Poor man. People used to do this on the circle line as I think it was the only one that ran 24 hours

 

Submitted by Mark Burrow on

Yes, I rememeber that. This is the Brighton to London train. Brutal. Thanks for the Cherry. 

 

Submitted by Turlough on

You remind me of something I saw late on a cold night a long time ago. I remember seeing a homeless man pushed off a London Underground train by a conductor at Finsbury Park. When he thought no one was looking he walked down the tunnel following the track, carrying with him all his homeless man's kit. If he survived the walk I hope he survived the night.

 

Turlough

Submitted by Mark Burrow on

That is some image, Turlough. Currently reading The Mole People: Life in the Tunnels Beneath New York City by Jennifer Toth. Written in the 90s but tells the story of people who lived in abandoned subways.

I also remember reading about a couple of guys who built a little two person bunker under Hamstead Heath as well. 

Thanks for reading and commenting.

 

Submitted by Turlough on

Aye Mark, and there were also those little fellas that lived in tunnels beneath Wimbledon Common and survived by using up things that the everyday folk left behind. They made a television series about them. One of them was from Bulgaria I believe.

Turlough

Submitted by Mark Burrow on

This made me laugh. Was in Wimbledon last week. Should have looked more closely on the common.

 

Submitted by Mark Burrow on

In case you're interested https://www.theguardian.com/news/2020/mar/05/invisible-city-how-homeless...

 

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Incredibly resilient, resourceful person, to build a bunker and stay hidden for years! Must have been so frustrating though, to keep being told to apply for accommodation, as if there is any to spare anywhere there are jobs. Really good poem, stark. The repeated "o" sound all through, desolate as a cry or howl

 

Submitted by Mark Burrow on

Agreed. Hard to believe it's true but one of those that stuck with me after reading. 

Thanks for reading the piece, Di. Appreciated.

And for all your feedback and comments this year. You've been so helpful! Have a great Christmas! 

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Thankyou so much for your wonderful writing, which is a privilege to read! I hope you have a lovely Christmas too :0) And that you get a good rest!

 

Submitted by Mark Burrow on

I plan to eat my bodyweight in cheese and watch a lot of bad films. Starting with Lethal Weapon 2. Cheers!

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Tragic. But there are some people trying to provide shelters aren't there? The situation can arise so suddenly probably. Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Mark Burrow on

Hi Rhiannon - thanks for reading. Yes, there are places but care and support services have been decimiated. The number of people sleeping rough has risen by over 70% in the last decade. Nearly 15,000 are in hostels and something like over a quarter of a million are in temp accomodation, which again is a massive increase. The cut in funding for local authorities over subsequent years is taking its toll.   

 

Submitted by celticman on

an epidemic of homelessness. normalised. 

 

Submitted by Mark Burrow on

Yep. It's worse than it was in the late 80s / 90s. Awful situation. 

 

Submitted by marandina on

Adroitly done, Mark. And a poignant image.

My last story on here was an attempt to highlight the homelessness issue. I think I heard on the radio that a school in London has something like 81% of students classed as homeless at the moment. The changes made to process asylum cases faster just means more people evicted from government funded accomodation sooner and thrown into the hands of councils who can't cope as it is. It's a modern day scourge and one we should be collectively ashamed of.

 

 

 

Submitted by Mark Burrow on

That's crazy. Must be the temporary accommodation bracket, perhaps? Housing is a disaster whichever lens you look through in this country-- rental, buying, environmental, social. 

As always, thanks for reading, M. 

 

Submitted by Ewan on

 Well said and well done.

Could our readers please spread the word on social media?

Author Page at the 'Zon
 

Submitted by Mark Burrow on

Just got home and seen this -- thank you! 

Have a good one, Ewan. 

 

Submitted by Starfish Girl on

Hi Mark

A poem to make us think, and appreciate just how lucky most of us are.

There was a story some years ago about a man who took up residence on a traffic island, one of those with lots of trees and bushes. Locals helped him out taking food parcels. He was offered 'proper' accommodation but always refused.Council unusually left him alone. When he died many people went to his funeral. An attempt was made to find out who he was. Very little was discovered other than he was a Polish refugee (I think).

Lindy

Józef Stawinoga (15 December 1920 – 28 October 2007), also known as Fred and incorrectly reported as Josef, was a homeless Polish man who lived in a tent on the Wolverhampton Ring Road in the West Midlands, England, for nearly 40 years.[(Just found this on wiki with more information about him)

Submitted by Mark Burrow on

Thanks so much for reading, Lindy, and giving feedback.

Never heard about Jozef before so appreciate you flagging it. I love that the local Hindu community saw him as a Sadhu. I remember sitting and watching the Sadhus as I backpacked round India. Sad how he was affected by the war. I guess that's the thing -- behind every person is a story. 

Again, thanks for reading my stuff on here this year. Means a lot. 

Have a great Christmas & New Year!