End of leave,
detraining at Waterloo Station past midnight.
My connection was from Liverpool Street
north of the river and east.
Nothing for it but to `plod`.
the Thames slid silver in moonlight
as I crossed the bridge.
Stars winked in a cold clear sky.
The North Star my lodestone
I plodded one street north, one street east.
Plod, plod, plod seeminging endlessly
always that friendly star
guiding me on,
until chough, chough, chough
the unmistakeable sound of a loco.
drawing breath.
Liverpool Street Station an oasis in the dark.
Life at last in the great metropolis.
Newspapers being loaded
Empty milk churns clanking
going back to their farms to be refilled
for london`s cups of tea.
Porters calling, the friendly sound of a human voice
after two hours of abject silence
in the blacked out city.
I settled into the corner of an empty compartment
to doze as dawn broke over
the rolling east anglian wheatfields.
Author notes
Writing this brought back the feeling of sixty five years ago as if it were yesterday. I was proud of my Astral navigation of the city from just south of the Thames to NE. Why did I not take a cab? you ask. Service pay did nor run to it and hardly any taxis ran. There were no customers.
A contest entry
- London Came to Life (Free Verse Contest) by Randomly Beautiful.
400 points, ended October 26, 6 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Please tell me what you think
Comments
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Nice images. Thank you for the entry.
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Wow, to view life like that from your piece is so fascinating. History seldom tells us about the beauty of how things were compared to busy and endless schedules of today. You transported me to another world, and I thank you for that, Beautiful job !
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I was taken back with you! This was a lovely write and I'm ever so glad I came across it... I think I shall visit your page and read more!!!
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Ah, the blackouts. You had so many and although we never got bombed in California, we had them too... lived near a aircraft plant that was all camouflaged. We had air raid drills and had to sit in the dark. Nothing compared to Great Britain.
Thank you for sharing this fine write, good William. Proud to know ya. 
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