JUNCTION

 

JUNCTION

 

Far from the west meets the eastern line,

Railways that connect people well,

East meets west amalgamates culture,

Lifestyle, eating habits, and cuisines differ,

The people host of language linking,

Migrates youth old like vice and versa,

Livelihood paramount adopts places,

Often pay revisits home reunites kin,

Students move for education distantly,

To and fro, life begins till the end in service,

The junction worth watching is large,

Dozens of platforms linked by over-bridge,

The staircases link to the flyover platforms,

Busy sight people are running with luggage,

The maze complex every hour arrives train,

The departure platform number announces,

People are perplexed, confused, wrong,

Catch the flyover, desperately move soon,

Language less understood mobile help,

The best sight is a red dress, understand,

Guides travelers to the right places in time,

Carries the luggage on head easily balanced,

Take more luggage on back speed past,

A train arrives, enters to coaches handle bags,

Shows unknown travelers a path to exit,

Dawn to dusk and reversed duty endless,

Bone tired quits silently to home a tin shed,

One room place sleep, cook and rest,

Happy is the person, meet unknowns always,

Accompanies them, delivers goods,

Get his dues for gets soon faces look another,

The oval brass badge with the number tied,

Tied to left arm certified for authority,

Meager income but exceptional service,

Weary traveler hasty finds solace meets train,

Get down in time, catch a rented car, bus,

The help of this person calms a tense mind,

The junction, crowded day and night,

In the wee hours, announce the arrival, slept life,

Wakes up sleepy passengers, helps to board,

Nobody thanks such a helping hand to pay a few,

Ah, the narration of a coolie, his world nit,

Confined to the railway stations bound,

Help plying trolleys from goods carriage,

The postal bags and parcels faithfully get paid,

The parting of dear ones, tearful emotions,

Awestruck  children at the engine, if a monster,

The hissing sound thrills terrified a little,

Wide-eyes life, a bud, watch the traffic,

Less can estimate the periphery of a dream,

Starting endpoints of a big world exist subtle,

Years and years, generations crawl here mystic,

The person in the red shirt knows commuter,

The man, polite, sober, and gentle, is missing today,

His world is over departed, but I notice,

A youth with red color dress first time,

Joins this world of junction today promptly,

I sat on a bench, a lonely platform knew well,

Acquainted for my life, loved this junction,

Like a ghost, at late night leaving my home,

A final look at the station to live with son, travel.

 

 Pen: Bijayananda Mishra

Title of Poem: Junction

Theme: highlight the railway porter,

Date: 12th December 2022, Cuttack

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