The Travelcard Shuffle
Every morning, all Summer long,
We tie-less masses struggle aboard
The dawdling trains in the hungry platforms,
Like some suburban zombie horde.
Then staring out at rusty sidings,
Ragged lots, and the empty sweltering sky,
As the weaving rails must dance and join,
And the shapeless buddleia bushes go by.
Every evening, all Summer long,
We shirtsleeve masses of sweaty sardines
Cram airless trains on commuter corridors,
Staring at space or staring at screens.
Some folks ride on gilded viaducts,
Mutely surveying the city from high,
While we in the troughs watch the overgrown fences,
As grasping bindweeds bushes go by.
Rhyming Couplets 