ONE STOP FROM BARKING ~ Jennifer Davidson

Mind the gap between the train and the platform. Please take your belongings with you. Sit down you’re rocking the boat. The next stop is Tower Hill. This train will terminate at Barking. Doors closing.

I offered my gaze to the passengers. But they were bound to resist. Alone. The devil will drag you under. 

With a soul so heavy you can hardly float. Breathe in, two three, out two three. Beware you are on a heavenly trip. 

My sins weigh heavy. There is a fault on the line. We are experiencing a temporary delay. 

Sit down, sit down, sit down. I sank, and I hollered, someone save me. If you see it, say it, sorted. 

A great big wave came and knocked me overboard. Someone fade me. 

“Would you like my seat?”  

That’s the moment I woke up. The next stop is East Ham. Please be careful when alighting from the train.