hail to embark

“hail to embark”

He waited at the stop,

streetlight clouding above him,
timetable long past meaning.

In the window of the shelter
he caught himself -
not a threat,

just someone

         who’d missed

    too many departures.

A bus passed

                without slowing.
He didn’t lift his hand.

. 

Reviews

[Chris Shaw]

Sadly a story of today. The bus shelter, a place to stay the night for the homeless. It is shameful that anyone should live like this.

just someone
who’d missed
too many departures

A poignant reality. In a town centre near you. A sadness Freds.

Chris

[redd Brick Keshner]

So true, Chris; this is much sasness 🕊️🙏🏻
Freds

[John the Baptist]

"He didn't lift his hand." Life has said "no" to this poor fellow too many times, and now it sounds like he has given up. Unless he can somehow rise above this picture, it probably won't change.

[redd Brick Keshner]

Rising above; that’s what it’s all about, isn’t, John. Most graciously appreciated 🙏🏻🕊️

[Claude]

This poem is quiet, sparse, and deeply reflective. I love how it captures that sense of waiting, missing, and being almost invisible in the world. The imagery of the streetlight, the passing bus, and the missed departures conveys a subtle melancholy, but it’s not overdone—it feels real and intimate. The short lines and spacing give the poem a kind of breathing, hesitant rhythm, mirroring the speaker’s pauses and quiet observation. It’s simple, understated, and lingers in the mind long after reading.

[redd Brick Keshner]

Thanks, Claude for that deep and well considered reading; both it and you are most appreciated. So glad the poem came across thusly🙏🏻🕊️

[redd Brick Keshner]

Thanks @Davidgeo for the Fave🙏🏻🕊️ a more direct version will be up next.

[Vol]

Redd,
I've felt that emptiness a few times, times of why bother? I don't like it when they find me, but I'm not sure we and grow without them. There are worse things, unexpected accidents or diagnosis that put everything else behind... but there we are, with no one else to carry the load... Everyone dies alone.
Vol

[redd Brick Keshner]

That’s the stark truth, isn’t it! Even dying in each other’s arms we would transition individually however simultaneously timed🙏🏻🕊️