Advent 2023: Day 22

 

Image: a railway platform with the words MIND THE GAP painted for the benefit of those alighting from the train, so that the letters are upside-down from the perspective of those waiting to board the train.

 

Now is the season for journeys home by train
(it has been too long)
Stepping forward, I launch myself
across the gap,
momentarily suspended between above
and here below
sole touching solid ground
once more: look down (intake of breath)
look up (and exhale, slow)
and turn to scan beyond the press of coats
and rumbling cases, a jostling crowd
—humanity—
and find you, reaching for my gaze
arm raised in joyful welcome
home.
I rush forward, let go my case and sink
in your embrace.

 

Passengers a-lighting,
please mind the gap
between the carriage and the platform.

 

Advent 2023: Day 21 O Emmanuel

 

Image: a railway platform with the words MIND THE GAP painted for the benefit of those alighting from the train, so that the letters are upside-down from the perspective of those waiting to board the train.

 

Now is the season for journeys home by train
(it has been too long)
O come, all you sons and
daughters, come on home
carried from every compass bearing
gifts, now is the time
of your rejoicing
born again in arms of mothers, fathers,
hugs of siblings, embrace of lovers.
Do not delay.
All awaits you.

 

Passengers a-lighting,
please mind the gap
between the kingdom come among us
in the life you have been given
and the chill dread that it lies
beyond our reach.

 

Advent 2023: Day 20 O Rex Gentium

 

Image: a railway platform with the words MIND THE GAP painted for the benefit of those alighting from the train, so that the letters are upside-down from the perspective of those waiting to board the train.

 

Now is the season for journeys home by train
(it has been too long)
Across the aisle, a group of women
dressed in red sarees trimmed with gold,
regal in bearing, bold
companions of a fiery affirmation
of Life, intent upon
great celebration—birth, or a wedding?
Throughout the carriage,
many faces, many tongues
light many graces,
and all now journey on together,
bear gifts, wrapped up in skin
of many colours,
while laughter lines and furrowed brows
map out the well-worn roads
that brought us to this holy moment.

 

Passengers a-lighting,
please mind the gap
between our heritage and
our inheritance.

 

Advent 2023: Day 19 O Oriens

 

Image: a railway platform with the words MIND THE GAP painted for the benefit of those alighting from the train, so that the letters are upside-down from the perspective of those waiting to board the train.

 

Now is the season for journeys home by train
(it has been too long)
An early start, cold brightness in the air:
the dawn is on its way
with healing,
unfurls resplendent wings across the Sky.
The winter sun will rise in time,
trace its low arc, as if to wed itself to Earth
and not be parted for the world.
A humble crown.
It’s shining will not overcome the moon
today, as long as it is Day; as yet
bright Venus cries ‘Prepare!’
He must increase
I, disappear.

 

Passengers a-lighting,
please mind the gap
between permanence and beauty
between greatness and glory.

 

Advent 2023: Day 18 O Clavis David

 

Image: a railway platform with the words MIND THE GAP painted for the benefit of those alighting from the train, so that the letters are upside-down from the perspective of those waiting to board the train.

 

Now is the season for journeys home by train
(it has been too long)
We are approaching, now
but no one’s certain
if we will leave to left or right
until the platform rises to meet us.
We stop; there is a pause
as fingers stab the {{open}} button
and we are held; the lock released,
lights turn to green: and yet we wait
a moment more, as fingers
fumble, press {{close}}
and now, at last, we spill out—
mind the gap—
to blink and take
our bearings and stride home.

 

Passengers a-lighting,
please mind the gap
between release and being free.

 

Advent 2023: Day 17 O Radix Jesse

 

Image: a railway platform with the words MIND THE GAP painted for the benefit of those alighting from the train, so that the letters are upside-down from the perspective of those waiting to board the train.

 

Now is the season for journeys home by train
(it has been too long)
All platforms
Tickets
Information
Customer lounge
Bus station
Taxis via bus station
Toilets (Shower; Baby changing)
Lift
Escaltor
Woman, praying the Rosary
while every nation heads in all directions
following signs.

 

Passengers a-lighting,
please mind the gap
between the forest and the tree.

 

Advent 2023: Day 16 O Adonai

 

Image: a railway platform with the words MIND THE GAP painted for the benefit of those alighting from the train, so that the letters are upside-down from the perspective of those waiting to board the train.

 

Now is the season for journeys home by train
(it has been too long)
‘Ladies and gentlemen, we
apologise for the delay.
It would appear a cow
is wandering along the track; we will resume our journey once
it has been moved.’
Monks took St Cuthbert’s bones at fitful rest
on ox-cart, drawn by wandering cow
that led them up to Dunholm’s crest;
and there they built a holy shrine
raised to the glory of God Most High.
And now a cow, descendant
turns—transforms—us, fellow passengers,
to pilgrims of that higher law:
Forgive us our trespasses, as
we forgive those who trespass against us.

 

Passengers a-lighting,
please mind the gap
between the holy and the profane.

 

Advent 2023: Day 15 O Sapientia

 

Image: a railway platform with the words MIND THE GAP painted for the benefit of those alighting from the train, so that the letters are upside-down from the perspective of those waiting to board the train.

 

Now is the season for journeys home by train
(it has been too long)
Birds wheel as one across the sky
high over woods whose trees
have shed their leaves, as tears
to bare their souls to highest heaven;
roots stretching for a neighbour
in the dark, a fellowship
of those who know
and who have come to welcome
winter. Some of these trees are dying,
know full well this winter is their last,
lay down their lives beginning
with won wisdom, passed on root to root,
that other trees may grow in strength.
They call out to the birds,
Return to rest.

 

Passengers a-lighting,
please mind the gap
between what we have lost and gain,
between what we have given and received.

 

Advent 2023: Day 14

 

Image: a railway platform with the words MIND THE GAP painted for the benefit of those alighting from the train, so that the letters are upside-down from the perspective of those waiting to board the train.

 

Now is the season for journeys home by train
(it has been too long)
A train is steel and space,
and sings, a duet between wheel and rail;
and as the carriage bears my body home,
so the song bears my soul,
a lullaby,
rocks me to rest,
heart falling into time.

 

Passengers a-lighting,
please mind the gap
between body and soul,
between the physical and the mystery
that animates material
artefact.

 

Advent 2023: Day 13

 

Image: a railway platform with the words MIND THE GAP painted for the benefit of those alighting from the train, so that the letters are upside-down from the perspective of those waiting to board the train.

 

Now is the season for journeys home by train
(it has been too long)
I have seen the light from above
reflected—twice given—for us
from either side, bestowing
shadowy travelers with a halo;
haloed angels in our midst, or hallowed saints
made holy by this grace?
Look hard, and faces fall from grace,
too solid—no, but look again,
out of the corner of your eye:
flesh, blood, and bones,
these are the raw materials of heaven.

 

Passengers a-lighting,
please mind the gap
between the earth and heaven,
for it is smaller than at first appears.

 

Advent 2023: Day 12

 

Image: a railway platform with the words MIND THE GAP painted for the benefit of those alighting from the train, so that the letters are upside-down from the perspective of those waiting to board the train.

 

Now is the season for journeys home by train
(it has been too long)
Through the window, icy
rain has turned the world to monochrome;
sky the colour of milk, spilt
on furrowed fields, broke-open, black as coal.
Life knows it seasons: spring times of new
beginnings, some unwelcome as cold showers;
summertime of ease; autumns of fruitful
gain for labours given; winters,
when days are short and nights are long,
some mild, some bitter—
and in our time, all running out of order,
unpredictable as weather.
How many seasons does this carriage carry,
in limbs, and wombs, and
sun-kissed, rain-kissed, faces?

 

Passengers a-lighting,
please mind the gap
between the seasons and the shelter.

 

Advent 2023: Day 11

 

Image: a railway platform with the words MIND THE GAP painted for the benefit of those alighting from the train, so that the letters are upside-down from the perspective of those waiting to board the train.

 

Now is the season for journeys home by train
(it has been too long)
My thoughts turn to my destination:
I am anticipated—longed for, even—
I am loved,
but am I known? Not fully, no
for I have changed.
‘My, how you’ve grown!’ the grown-ups used to say,
until our outward growth is done;
yet I grow still,
grow, as a tree upon the headland stands,
both sentinel and sign, my limbs
make visible the prevailing wind.
And should they seek who I once was
then I may not be found at all;
and should I fall in with their search,
all is in vain.

 

Passengers a-lighting,
please mind the gap
between who you have been (and may yet be)
and your true self.

 

Advent 2023: Day 10

 

Image: a railway platform with the words MIND THE GAP painted for the benefit of those alighting from the train, so that the letters are upside-down from the perspective of those waiting to board the train.

 

Now is the season for journeys home by train
(it has been too long)
‘Tickets, please.’
I lean and push hand deep in pocket,
pull out my phone, as if
I were magician, pulling flowers and
rabbits from a hat: ta-da!
Once, I would purchase paper tickets
from a booth, another human, behind glass,
as in a zoo; now,
only digital traces track me as I flee
from screen to window seat to screen,
and ‘Tickets, please.’
and I glance off each other,
sleight of hand.

 

Passengers a-lighting,
please mind the gap
between the polished surface
and our common substance.

 

Advent 2023: Day 9

 

Image: a railway platform with the words MIND THE GAP painted for the benefit of those alighting from the train, so that the letters are upside-down from the perspective of those waiting to board the train.

 

Now is the season for journeys home by train
(it has been too long)
I settle into my seat:
a small child
appears, over the seat in front of me
looking back, holding my gaze.
I smile, instinctively
cover my eyes with my hands,
then—peekaboo—reveal my face
blinkered between palms, thumbs pressed
against my cheekbones,
cupping my smile,
and hide, reveal, and hide, reveal again.
The child delights, in their shy way,
at once inquisitive and coy;
but where does adult end and child begin?

 

Passengers a-lighting,
please mind the gap
between the inner child and
the weight of the world.

 

Advent 2023: Day 8

 

Image: a railway platform with the words MIND THE GAP painted for the benefit of those alighting from the train, so that the letters are upside-down from the perspective of those waiting to board the train.

 

Now is the season for journeys home by train
(it has been too long)
This is where I change
disembark and cross the platform
scan the scene for information:
where am I headed? how much time do I have?
plunge through the crowd, stuck
behind the slow-moving and the
heavy-laden, dance
side-step.
I follow signs and strike out
in the wrong direction:
retrace my steps, begin again.

 

Passengers a-lighting,
please mind the gap
between familiarity and
disorientation.

 

Advent 2023: Day 7

 

Image: a railway platform with the words MIND THE GAP painted for the benefit of those alighting from the train, so that the letters are upside-down from the perspective of those waiting to board the train.

 

Now is the season for journeys home by train
(it has been too long)
Yet here we are
at stand-still, caught somewhere between
two stations;
giving way, that others may go on
ahead of us, make up their own delays.
All through the carriage,
restless heads are turned, as if
in search of answers
to be found, under our neighbour’s seat,
perhaps; as if we were in an
Escape Room.

 

Passengers a-lighting,
please mind the gap
between the anxious clamour
of our needs and
making space to meet
the needs of others.

 

Advent 2023: Day 6

 

Image: a railway platform with the words MIND THE GAP painted for the benefit of those alighting from the train, so that the letters are upside-down from the perspective of those waiting to board the train.

 

Now is the season for journeys home by train
(it has been too long)
Thrum-b
(rudely jolted from the page I hold
with care, lest I contaminate forensic traces)
a train rushes by, travelling against us
with violent intent, rattling windows;
momentary glimpse of other lives,
scrolling screens
or passing time in conversation
all unaware
how violently they hurtle to the end.

 

Passengers a-lighting,
please mind the gap
between observation
and passing judgement.

 

Advent 2023: Day 5

 

Image: a railway platform with the words MIND THE GAP painted for the benefit of those alighting from the train, so that the letters are upside-down from the perspective of those waiting to board the train.

 

Now is the season for journeys home by train
(it has been too long)
Fields to the right of me,
stretching to the sea;
and in the distance,
on the left, a town
church spire rising to meet dark clouds.
We plunge into a tunnel:
and from behind black mirror
I hold my gaze,
a drowning man, pale as death.

 

Passengers a-lighting,
please mind the gap
between your darkest days and years,
and the extinguishing
of hope.
This, too, shall pass.

 

Advent 2023: Day 4

 

Image: a railway platform with the words MIND THE GAP painted for the benefit of those alighting from the train, so that the letters are upside-down from the perspective of those waiting to board the train.

 

Now is the season for journeys home by train
(it has been too long)
The door jolts open, and a voice
cries out:
‘AaNY teas, coffees, beer, wine—
any snacks?’
shuffles along, cajoles alike both customers and trolley,
negotiates the obstacle of errant arms
and feet that trespass in the narrow way
of passage.
I contemplate his offer,
and decide.

 

Passengers a-lighting,
please mind the gap
between believing ourselves to be
in no need of refreshment,
and grasping every offered opportunity
through rote conditioning, or boredom.

 

Advent 2023: Day 3

 

Image: a railway platform with the words MIND THE GAP painted for the benefit of those alighting from the train, so that the letters are upside-down from the perspective of those waiting to board the train.

 

Now is the season for journeys home by train
(it has been too long)
As we approach
the next stop, fellow passengers shift
in their seats, excuse themselves,
“This is me.” We dance
to rearrange ourselves,
as coats and bags are lifted down
from overhead, and
aisle and carriage-ends are filled
with restless passengers,
anxious now, just to get home.
We pull into a station; idly, I survey
a place, a town—a life that is not mine.
Warm light through windows
spilt on rain-slick streets.

 

Passengers a-lighting,
please mind the gap
between the life that beckons you
and those that beckon
other lives.

 

Advent 2023: Day 2

 

Image: a railway platform with the words MIND THE GAP painted for the benefit of those alighting from the train, so that the letters are upside-down from the perspective of those waiting to board the train.

 

Now is the season for journeys home by train
(it has been too long)
Twisted, side-on, I edge my way down
a full carriage … 25, 26, 27…
Carriage C, seat 27.
Reserved, from here:
this seat—my seat—
already taken.
Dilemma: a Very British
Problem, to speak,
or not to speak?
“Excuse me, but, you’re in my seat—”
what to be gained, from
confrontation?
Do I keep moving forward,
keep searching for an empty place?

 

Passengers a-lighting,
please mind the gap
between imposter syndrome
and your God-given dignity.

 

Advent 2023: Day 1

 

Image: a railway platform with the words MIND THE GAP painted for the benefit of those alighting from the train, so that the letters are upside-down from the perspective of those waiting to board the train.

 

Now is the season for journeys home by train
(it has been too long)
Four strangers sat around a table;
or three—the woman I am facing
has set her bags beside her,
on the window seat.
The young man beside me,
lost in a world of silent music,
stares through the fogged pane
as the world slides by.
I roll my neck and shoulders,
tentatively stretch one leg
along the aisle, and draw it back
again, return to the page.

 

Passengers a-lighting,
please mind the gap
between the baggage we defer to
and the new world,
fast approaching,
reaching out, calling us
home.