Reunited
A Poem on the Nature of Reunions
A reunion is most meaningful when it is with the self. -Michelle Lie
As the Lunar New Year approaches, families will reunite-and we ponder on reunions.
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In the centre of an abandoned train depot,
Vivian waits,
fingers caressing the edges of a
Frayed ticket.
The station has the odour of damp iron and yesteryear’s rain.
The grandfather’s clock at the platform centre ticks, cracked, yet steady,
Chiming through the decades.
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He vowed to meet her here,
Ages ago,
His voice etched clearly in the corners of her memory
“Wait for me,” he asked her,
And she did,
through new cities built,
Summers alone,
And the silent voices of unopened mail.
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The train chugs in,
Its arrival blurring the bounds between present and past.
And he’s there
A man whose face feels like a question
Left unanswered.
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“Vivian?” His weighted voice, carrying every mile
Between then and now.
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She steps forth
But the gap between them
Surpasses the width of the tracks
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His eyes search hers,
But the years have scored different songs on their tongues.
The train moans, waiting, impatient
He lifts a hand, hesitant,
And the moment vanishes.
\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*
The train departs,
Its rhythm dissolves into the air
Vivian stays till there’s nothing left
But a quiet she no longer fears.
**\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\***
She turns, the ticket slipping from her grasp
Stepping into the world beyond the depot
To a place waiting for
Her.
About the Creator
Michelle Liew Tsui-Lin
Hi, i am an English Language teacher cum freelance writer with a taste for pets, prose and poetry. When I'm not writing my heart out, I'm playing with my three dogs, Zorra, Cloudy and Snowball.
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Comments (4)
Such a lovely poem 🖌️♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️
"But the years have scored different songs on their tongues." Whoaaaa, I especially love that line. It was so deep!
Oh, the longing I could feel in this piece. So beautiful
This piece captures the bittersweet beauty of longing, closure, and moving forward.. A masterful reflection on how some chapters close not with answers, but with acceptance. Bravo!