Steam Fayre

As there was no Steam Faye at Pallot's this year, I thought I'd share this poem which I wrote on 19/09/2004.

Steam Fayre

The train is waiting on the platform
Steam building, waiting for perform
A chance for us to enjoy once more
Days of railways from long before

Once this train ran from the town
All day long, sunset to sundown
To the Eastern reaches of Gorey
Beneath the castle that we still see.

But carriages were pulled another way
By a train upon the Western railway
To Corbiere point, to see the coast
The lighthouse that was westernmost.

Those days are long since gone, the East
Taken by land owners when it ceased
The West remains in part as walking path
A legacy of the closure and its aftermath.

But now we sit in carriages once more
Just like my grandfather in days of yore
The ticket inspector punches tickets, then
With a whistle, the train is off again.

Just twice round this short track today
At the Steam Museum, time’s delay
To enjoy the rattle of train on track
A memory to enjoy, take back.