Classic Poem

1

Awake The station name flashes by
Glimpsed on the guardrail through the window
Before I can pull myself up
The train is swallowed in the throat of night
Was that circle, that faint one
A light from Dakahan village?

2

The shadows of the betel palms vaguely discernible
Tabalang Ami language already has driven straight in
Through the screeching sound of the braking train
Interrupting the lingering sleepiness
The night market in front of the station is as bright as day
As if the festivities of the eighth month are being warmed up early

3

(Excuse me, tickets please)
Right and left, the conductor punches tickets
Someone sighs
Someone mutters a curse
Someone holds out his ticket in his sleep
Someone thrusts his ticket vigorously
One guy empties his pockets
Looks above, below, and all around his seat
The woman beside him with red fingernails
Curses him
— he'll have to
(Buy a ticket after boarding)

4

Waiting for the connecting train
Everyone seems to hold their breath
The silence increases the indifference
The anxiousness more suffocating
The surrounding darkness has swallowed everything
The air conditioner rattles, the passengers doze
But their toes long to be on their way
Wiggling in every pair of
Shoes.