THE RAILWAY CARRIAGE... My new poem, inspired by ANDREA KOWICH'S painting 'REUNION'...)

 The Railway Carriage…

( Inspired by Andrea Kowich’s painting ‘Reunion’ and an old image of me on a train…)

A mother knits, likely a school pullover for her son,

Who has been told to look out of the carriage window

At endless fields and the telegraph poles which seem 

To bob and weave, like mum’s needles in her busy hands.

He sneaks a glance at the camera however, a notebook between his hands,

Betraying rare disobedience for a child shy in the extreme.  

Dressed for school, en route to the seaside’s golden glow

And a rare chance to loosen paternal shackles and experience sheer fun…

A pet dog lies, a likeable companion for the woman, reflectively

Gazing through the carriage window with wistful expression.

Yet she seems unaware of the fields, the sunset, the moon’s rising

And the evening birds which weave, like nerves of uncertainty. 

Oblivious is she to the automobile, its role shrouded in uncertainty,

As she clutches a precious gift-box shyly, emphasising
Her reserve, whilst having dressed demurely for the occasion,

A reunion, a return, or a revisiting perhaps and thus considered pensively…    

Pete Ray

15th February 2025…

When I saw the above fine painting by Andrea Kowich, I was absorbed by the possibilities about the scene but I also recalled a photo taken by my father on a train, which was taking us as a family from Birmingham I the UK, to Plymouth and our summer holiday.

My notebook and pens were for noting down locomotive names & numbers…

I grew out of that…