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Standing in the tunnel at Eighth and Pine station, I survey westbound commuters waiting across the tracks  - standing arms akimbo or leaning on marble walls. A well-suited young man paces the platform - cell phone pressed to his cheek.     [Passengers stand clear of the     edge of the platform at all times] Rushing in from the east, a gleaming white chariot arrives - pauses - resumes leaving the far platform vacated as if by alien abduction From the left a blazing light pierces the  tunnel and the Shiloh – Scott eastbound halts and snaps open its doors. crossing the threshold., I claim a seat by the aisle.     [Please stand clear! Doors are closing] With eyes half shut I scan the crowd: uniformed workers wearing ID's,   a toddler’s arms and legs dangling off his mother's lap, An elderly couple talking softly. The soft clatter of wheels and the gentle side-to-side sway rocks us like a cradle - memories of the long day melting into thoughts of home.     [Fairview Heights Station.     Doors open to my right] The lady with the toddler steps off. A trio of teenage girls fresh from the mall seek and find empty seats - filling the rear of the car with the music of their chatter. Streetlamps scatter shadows over parking lots. The unseen country side slips by under cover of darkness. Headlights gleam like jewels waiting for crossing gates to lift     [Next stop Belleville Station     Doors open to my left] I clutch my lap top, work my way to the door and wait for the train’s full stop Stepping out into the frost filled air I pause to watch the sleak white chariot vanish on the eastern horizon. September,  2006
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Nov 13, 2015
Nov 13, 2015 at 6:29 AM UTC
Shiloh-Scott Eastbound
Standing in the tunnel at Eighth and Pine station, I survey westbound commuters waiting across the tracks  - standing arms akimbo or leaning on marble walls. A well-suited young man paces the platform - cell phone pressed to his cheek.     [Passengers stand clear of the     edge of the platform at all times] Rushing in from the east, a gleaming white chariot arrives - pauses - resumes leaving the far platform vacated as if by alien abduction From the left a blazing light pierces the  tunnel and the Shiloh – Scott eastbound halts and snaps open its doors. crossing the threshold., I claim a seat by the aisle.     [Please stand clear! Doors are closing] With eyes half shut I scan the crowd: uniformed workers wearing ID's,   a toddler’s arms and legs dangling off his mother's lap, An elderly couple talking softly. The soft clatter of wheels and the gentle side-to-side sway rocks us like a cradle - memories of the long day melting into thoughts of home.     [Fairview Heights Station.     Doors open to my right] The lady with the toddler steps off. A trio of teenage girls fresh from the mall seek and find empty seats - filling the rear of the car with the music of their chatter. Streetlamps scatter shadows over parking lots. The unseen country side slips by under cover of darkness. Headlights gleam like jewels waiting for crossing gates to lift     [Next stop Belleville Station     Doors open to my left] I clutch my lap top, work my way to the door and wait for the train’s full stop Stepping out into the frost filled air I pause to watch the sleak white chariot vanish on the eastern horizon. September,  2006
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#light#train#rail#commuting
robert-c-howard
Written by
robert-c-howard
American
Nov 13, 2015
Nov 13, 2015 at 6:29 AM UTC
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