ON a Train


I met him on a train going south,
the fashion then to wear long coats
even on the hottest days
but I didn't have a hat
and he did, a marvellous
grey hat with a brim
and a trim around the bowl.
He left it,
sitting on a seat
and eating ham sandwiches
as I rolled the window down
letting heat and
steam from perspiring passengers
filter through and across
the cheap fabric of a train
in Spain heading south.


I walked a jaunty step
behind a portly gentleman
who greeted a wife and six daughters
he looked rather apologetic,
I felt slightly smug,
wound up in a hug
as I shrugged my too long coat,
boots with heels and a buckle
and a grey fedora
fetching with a crease
and trim around the brim.

On a train headed north
I sat beside an over large portmanteau,
a cowboy with a sombrero,
me and a hat,
a half eaten sandwich
(I think it was ham)
I prefer jam
for the sake of a cheaper rhyme
but the rest of it is true.
I lost the hat on a train
in London, rush hour
Paddington to Aylesbury
or was it Marylebone?







Poetry by Elle The PoetBay support member heart!
Read 736 times
Written on 2010-08-24 at 15:17

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kath
This made me smile .. Nice on a Sunday evening ...
Thank you,

hugs
kath
2010-09-12


Stan Cooper The PoetBay support member heart!
Hi Elle...

I won't tell you just how good this poem is, 'cause if I do,
you'd end up needing a larger hat

Stan
2010-09-05


shells
Aah a shock ending, you lost the hat! Loved the story and its descriptions, 'tis good to borrow something once on a while.
2010-08-25


NicholasG
You had me laughing with this one. I loved the reference to the cheaper rhyme!!
xox Nick
2010-08-24