It was love at first sight,
Trains.
The roar of the engine
The acceleration, the hooting,
And the constant belching smoke,
The wheels on the rails,
The periodic ta-duk ta-duk,
It was all so thrilling.
And the first time my dad took me on a journey,
I just knew what I wanted to become,
A rail guard!
The last coach on every goods train,
Had this small deck,
Almost like a moving picnic spot!
But even before that,
Travelling by train was like watching a really long movie,
The train galloped through cities and towns,
Through villages and rice fields,
The ever-changing landscape,
Evoked inexplicable emotions.
One fine day, my train stopped in the middle of a forest,
We were waiting for a green signal from the next stop,
A little far away,
When I heard two elephants,
Whispering to one another.
"Look! There's a train!
They rarely stop,
But today, it did!
What fun it must be,
To be on one."
"Really? What is it like,
Do you know?
Isn't it dangerous?"
"No waayy! It's great fun!
Remember we felled some trees that day?
Line the logs against one another and jump onto them.
That's how you roll,
And that's how they roll!
What are they called?
Wheels! Yes, wheels, I believe..."
"Aha, fun, it does seem!
I've heard humans come and go in them,
They are so intelligent,
They see the world,
That which exists beyond this forest,
Will we ever see it, my friend?
Ever board a train?"
"But, alas, we need a ticket!"
I was surprised to hear,
That trains fascinated beings,
Beyond humans!
God only knew,
If birds and tigers felt the same.
Some months later,
My train did indeed stop,
In the same forest again,
The elephants came,
Beguiled by the majesty of the giant millipede.
Two shots.
And when they woke up, one exclaimed,
"Look, my friend; we're on the train!
That, too, ticket free!
Aren't we lucky?
But what are these bars around us?"
"Yes, my friend, we are indeed on a train,
But what we thought was emancipation,
Was actually our chain ..."