An elderly gentlemen sits in front of me on the train
In fine, red braces and a tweed hat the colour of marshland after rain.
He is concerned.
He left his coat at Derby station and is going to collect it.
A normal man of average age is more self-assured than this OAP.
A normal man with a boring job and nothing to see
Not even red braces
It’s like when people get old,
Right before they’re about to die,
They realise they don’t know anything. They have nothing to be confident of.
They have lived fascinating, breath-taking, heart-stopping, totally forgettable lives.
We’ve reached Derby now and red looks back at me,
Mouth slightly open and with a long strand of loose hair poking from under his hat.
I smile.
I’m young. I’m only just beginning to know everything.
He is anxious and I am stupid and ignorant.
I hope he finds his coat.