Throughout the ages, husbands and wives have been separated, not by choice, but by circumstances. War, poverty, work, migration, seeking refuge - all these may see couples in different places, unable to communicate, anxious for one another. This is for them.
.................................
On the train from Parramatta to Sydney City...
A lone woman wears her scarf and stares into an unknown world.
What does she see with those sad and longing eyes?
Does she see her handsome lover?
Does she see the food served in production lines of tastelessness?
Does she see him washing his own clothes and folding his own socks?
Does she remember when she could do these things for him?
... not because she was a woman, but because he was her man.
Her body is hidden under long and flowing garments,
As is her soul.
She bears a weight of solitude in this carriage of many.
A busy man leaps onto the train,
catching the pole to balance himself and swings into a seat.
Quickly, he pulls off his sedate necktie,
rolls it carefully for storage in backpack.
From same storage emerges a polo shirt,
logo-ed for delivery.
Bike clips for trousers applied and adjusted.
Ready now for the next job.
One day, he may have enough to get her here.
With a few moments to himself,
He closes his eyes,
sees her face,
the contours of her neck,
hears her tender alto,
smells her warmth...
Each separation of stars in the sky
sees them chasing each other
in endless cycles of nights between days.
Time passes as daily life continues
And loneliness turns into surrogate companion.
When do stars collide?
Only at the end of time?
© A A Koh-Butler, 2020
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