Songs of the train

Songs of the train
(Inspired by Songs of the road (Pather Panchali))

A small girl sat on a lower berth
Thinking is life living worth??
Moments ago, scolded by her mother
And continuously ignored by her brother
Sad, angry but without tears,
She sat with hands on her ears.
But suddenly a thought came into her mind,
She jumped and ran leaving others behind.
Taking no notice of any other
From one compartment to another
Until she reached the coach's gate
And then she ...


Her brother who until now,
was climbing up and down the side bar
Counting number of times he has done so far
He had found her pleas to play quite boring
Ignoring her, he continued his scoring.
Then suddenly he saw her ran past him
Instantly understood she was under her own whim.
Keeping an eye on her, he called his mother
"She is running ma, She is going to jump ma"
"Maaaa....."

And there was also a college sophomore
lying on the top seat, eating chips and more.
Enjoying every moment of his journey to his native place
Thinking life can be so good if you live outside its race.
He was lost reading Catcher in the Rye
But then he saw that little girl from the corner of his eye
Her expression just before she started running,
Book now dropped, he sat straight, as it was so stunning.
With curiosity, his eyes followed her
His mind began to ponder
What could have prompted her?
Now he was at the edge of his seat
Looking everything without loosing a beat.


The little girl's mother was busy talking to her neighbor
"I have seen life, I have seen people", she told her
The man who sat here without reservation,
He has no morals, he has no salvation
And my daughter here, she is devil number one
Sometimes i wish, i had another son.
"Ma, Ma, she is running towards the gate ma"
What? That devil, she ran to get her daughter
But it was too late for her.
The little girl has now already reached the gate.
Her mother can not catch her at any rate.


An old woman sat across next to the window
Head resting on hand, hand resting on elbow.
Watching tress come and go by
She also had tears in her eye.
Refusing to blink as it would make them fall
Just wanting to be alone, that's all.
But one can't forget what one wants to forget
Past, good or bad, is permanently set.
There is an end to every war that is fought,
She lost when she blinked,
The mother had distracted her train of thought.

There was a stranger standing near the gate.
With no ticket as he was late.
He had tried to sit at an empty place
But he was whisked off by a woman with angry face.
He was recently divorced and unemployed.
Unshaven, hungry he felt destroyed.
Smoking a cigarette to avoid using his mind
Thinking, life can sometimes be such a bind.
But then he saw that little girl reach the gate.
About to jump and decide her fate.

But the girl did something unexpected.
She stopped for a split second there.
Was it the gush of fresh air
or was it the outside beauty.
No one can say that with absolute certainty.
The man too grabbed her hand at the end of second,
Stopping her from reaching her end.
She looked at him and smiled.
She had found an answer
which he was able to read from her.
Her mother reached and hugged her by that time.
Couldn't thank the stranger, she felt guilty of her crime.
The sophomore understood that girl's smile.
He went back to his reading style.
Mother apologized to her daughter
Old woman said after wiping her eyes off water.
"Life goes on, that's what life is about"
The stranger also threw his cigarette out.