Dissent Below The Surface

You’re a repeat customer on a train you forget.

The axels grind, and the engine screams,

Because you’re under threat.

Out the window is your relative,

Whose nose crooks right,

Eye bulges left.

Fat hangs from the neck

A victim of your theft.

Beyond this - nothing.

The train keeps rushing,

As wheels cover ground,

No displacement can be found.

A mechanic hands you coal

She tells you to exit now.

So you buckle you in,

preparing to dissent.

The laptop flickers in front of you.

Bright beams blind your view.

Milliken, Heaney, Davie sing on the screen.

They shove your face back to the scene.

Out the window is darkness,

Terrain familiar in disdain.

You go to type, and think,

Blood pours out your vein.

A lurker’s head pushes up beside you

Their coldness cuts your shoulder.

Now the car is filled with them, blank faces,

With friends who smolder.

You’ve appointed every passenger

Given each their ticket,

But no member moves further

Laughing as you picket.

You’ve asked them not to look,

So they grab your tongue instead.

They inspect every nook,

And find your baby tucked in bed.

You twist and writhe on plastic cushion,

Crinkles up your back.

Your father gives you his shoes,

But you can only feel its slack.

A fisherman saunters forth,

Still dripping from adventure.

He shows them all a jig.

They clap for his new venture.

The passengers finally withdrawal,

Ripping up their stubs.

You reach out to touch one

But miss their hearts and subs.

They don’t remember you

And now you see their faces.

You stand up from your seat

To grab all your suitcases.

The next car up is quiet.

You see yourself then.

Yes, it’s eerily too silent.

The conductor says it’s when.

———————————————-

You’re a repeat customer on a train you’ve seen before.

The axels glide, and the engine simmers,

Because there is no war.

The window shade is down,

All around you is silence.

A stranger sits beside you,

A defeatist in alliance.

Beyond this - still nothing.

The train keeps rushing,

As wheels cover ground,

No displacement can be found.

A nurse hands you pills

She welcomes you back on board.

You can’t feel your legs

As you suffer from your lord.

The laptop fades in front of you.

A quest haze nulls your view.

Miller, Huxley, Lee plead on the screen.

You wait for the next scene.

The letters have been removed,

Only numbers line the squares.

You click and tap, And click and tap.

Gluttony loves its shares.

A supervisor shakes your hand

Their warmness buys your lungs.

The car remains empty,

No chatter from the tongues.

You’ve anointed this passenger

Gifted them a ticket.

But no conductor cares -

No wick for this pricket.

You call the stranger by his name,

So he offers up his kids.

No victors win in this game.

Only anomaly forbids.

You ease and slump on velvet cushion,

No legs beneath your belt.

The engineer returns,

He asks you how much to smelt.

A caterer tip toes in,

Still respectful for the service.

He shows you the menu.

No awareness to be nervous.

The passenger says thank you,

And cuts your liver out.

They say you didn’t need it,

They’ll take your final doubt.

You don’t remember you

And you can’t see your face.

You lurch up from your seat

Crushed by your brief case.

———————————————-

You’re a repeat customer on a train you’ve built yourself.

The axels break, and the engine snaps,

Because you recognize the self.

This train is going nowhere,

But you never remember when.

It’s time for you to leave it,

Until you choose again.