Platform 1

waiting at the station
as the seconds click by
increasingly luminous
in thickening dusk

moving from chipped red seat
to chipped red seat
before the metal's time to warm

sipping from a bottle of water
though not thirsty
wondering if there's time
to go to the toilet
just to look in the mirror
check who they'll see

clutching an A-Z as if street maps
could tell what would be
feeling trapped by the gathering others'
expectations of normality

growing older by osmosis
growing colder
till the only solution
is to miss the train