End of the line

Sudden waking –
like plunging from Narnian water;
the sandpapery bite of his larynx
tearing me from the blur.

My eyes scanned unfamiliar
peripherals, narrowing;
my bladder remonstrated for
lack of planning.

He walked me to the exit as I
focused the cap of my right converse
along the platform’s central ridge,
feigning sobriety.

He spoke like a man in his domain,
asked where I was meant to be…
his eyes unfocused – opaque – then
settled, arriving in thought.

Jump in, jump in, he said.
Ever ridden in the front
of a train? It’s a whole
different world up here.

Transfiguring my brain to sponge,
I balanced my head on the glass in a
state of absorption – edging forwards –
a glint of moonlight on the tracks.