What I did not say
What I can never say
Is what I long to say the most
That I sense and imagine life
A parallel life running alongside this one
Like a brightly lit train carriage at dusk on a summer's evening
That momentarily adjusts its speed to travel alongside you
In which you witness arguments being lost and won
Phones being answered, crosswords being puzzled
Music being heard, gum being chewed, books being read
Promises being made and kept and broken
A kaleidoscope of vibrant lives throbbing in all their infinite glorious variety
In that brief moment, I see a vision of my parallel life
My life to be lived, not even to be entertained
And I grieve for it
The train not taken
As our tracks diverge and all the possibilities dissolve
Into the inky richness of a summer's night