Trains and Ladies (for Sam Johnstone)
by and published in Edition Three of Pomegranate
Let’s mask true love as friendship
For every boy I’ve ever kissed.
The bus stop, the train station,
How one minute mattered.
Midday sun at St. Pancras,
A two O’clock meeting
Where our friendships went astray;
Red bus, red bus, taxi.
Station-lurkers, basking in the smog,
Lurking in the stations,
The 8 O’clock tickets;
We’ve missed time.
The rags, the bags, the bag lady
Sits. She is fate.
The rags, the bags, the old bins.
Now she’s gone.
Late night residue- Liverpool Street,
The clacking board of destinations:
8:15, 8:17, 8:24, flying home.
Last winds: Brighton.
Emma Cullen
Emma Cullen is 16 years old and lives and breathes leafy Hertfordshire and suburbs of London. She is currently studying for her A-Levels and hopes to go onto university to study English and then pursue a career in poetry as well as politics or teaching. Emma claims that she is still finding her voice and with help and support from the Ware poetry society, various family members and teachers she hopes to get known in the world of poetry sometime in the near future. She is inspired by the likes of Carol Ann Duffy, Edwin Morgan and Dylan Thomas. She generally writes about experiences, trains and experiences on trains- but tries not to be too cynical about it.