Orchestra

Walking forward through the crowded carriage,
I pass an orchestra of different lives:
As the train gets underway the silent
Conductor raises his baton and the
Piano of the elderly couple
Hits a tentative key. The momentum
Increases as we dart along our route
And the family of four opposite
Begin to bow their strings: they rise and fall
With the joining of the tracks that dictate
Our destination and send us onward.
Soon after this, the percussion begins:
A large family, perhaps a school group,
Bang the rhythmic drums, enthused, only to
Stop when the refreshment cart comes around.
As we reach the climax, a unity
Is formed amongst the cross-section of days.
Family and infidelity are
United in the same moment; all else
Is dissipated as we play our song.
What matters most is not why we’re going,
But the sincerity of the notes we play.