<iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-K3L4M3" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden">

Poems

On the way to Plumpton

17 September 2015

1:00 PM

17 September 2015

1:00 PM

We pull up at Wivelsfield, under a blue sky,
and glance out at the one figure on the platform:
a mature, buxom woman in pink.
Her arms are open wide, and a burly,
moustachioed man climbs out of our carriage
and gallops towards her embrace,
burying his face in her yellow hair.

When will they let go of each other?
At last, she grasps his shabby bag,
swings it over her shoulder,
and off they march, trailing laughter;
also disturbance — for some of us
are looking a shade wistful
as the train pulls out, soberly, to Plumpton.

Got something to add? Join the discussion and comment below.

Already a subscriber? Log in

Black Friday sale

Subscribe today and get 10 weeks of The Spectator Australia for just $1

  • Unlimited access to spectator.com.au and app
  • The weekly edition on the Spectator Australia app
  • Spectator podcasts and newsletters
  • Full access to spectator.co.uk
Or

Unlock this article

REGISTER


Comments

Black Friday sale

Subscribe today and get 10 weeks of The Spectator Australia for just $1

Already a subscriber? Log in

Close