"Enjoy The Ride"

Fashionista
Sat opposite
Sketching
Stark grey
Granite pencil
In contrast to
The multi-coloured
Pencil itself
Decorated Year Six style
They'd call it
Primary school
To old gits like me.
She's drawing away
In her expensive
Ring bound
Sketch book.
We are not talking
Poundland here.
And next to you
Smart but casual
Old, tidy grey beard
Father? Grandfather?
Dirty old man, maybe.
Stranger?...
Things have happened.
He is nodding off
In this quiet zone
Hope he doesn't snore
She will have to stick
Her pencil up his nose.
Loudest thing right now
Being the air conditioning
Above the thoughts
In my head
Her own distracted
Broken as they compete
With whatever pop music
Is piped into her lugholes
From the latest electronic gadget
She had hidden from sight.
So much so she doesn't spot
Me writing about her
From the other side of the table
And without a doubt
The other side of the tracks.
Talented in our own
Little obscure way
Hers in sketch
Mine by written thought.
Neither finished yet
But if she stays
For the whole journey
Whatever happens
We will have met
Our own artistic Waterloo.

Dulwich Poet 4th August 2013

( I was on a train from Winchester to Waterloo, and wrote this while sat opposite two strangers, the other side of the table.One was a young girl, sketching some sort of fashion designs; sitting next to her was an older man.)