JASPER GLEN

★ ★ ★ ★

POETRY

Image by Robin Rocker

Waiting in the Station

I arrived unnecessarily early.
The only person in this place.
The attendant already out to lunch,
I waited four hours in a Quebec
Train station alone. Walked
All the way from the city. Snow
Was falling, the fact of it felt
Like a curse. All day, I tried
Training my mind to deliver peaceful
Thoughts, but the old programming
Does not go quietly. Kill
Yourself, comes over
The loud speaker. Is a sign
I can disobey. I can run back
To the hotel, I can pay to stay
Another night. No. My ticket
Says Rimouski. Why worry
About what’s there? The train
Is headed for Rimouski.
Yes. Unless it goes off the track.