The station bustling

With people and trains chugging. 

Letting out a loud siren, 

Marched in the Ganga Kaveri Express. 

We ran alongside the coaches, 

To stop right in front of ours. 

Quickly hopped onto it, 

And began searching our berths. 

Once settled, I took my new collection, 

Of Tinkle, Champak and Copperfield, 

Fresh from Higginbothams, 

Held them proudly, like a trophy won. 

Mom took out the curd rice and pickle, 

I gobbled them up quickly and

Took my place at the upper berth, 

With my paper friends for company. 

I don’t remember when I dozed off, 

Till mom woke me up for tea. 

Hot tea with some cutlets, 

And now time for some scenery. 

I loved gazing the trees and mountains, 

And the air that hit my face. 

Enjoyed the sight till, 

The darkness engulfed us all. 

With dinner dished off soon, 

I climbed up to my berth, 

Tried staying awake, 

Till the chugging train rocked me to sleep. 

Mornings seemed to dawn early, 

As the trained touched Andhra, 

Hot puliyogare and idlis, 

Welcomed us to the land of Tirupati. 

Day two sailed through 

The hot, sultry Andhra. 

Soon we entered the northern belt

Through Itarsi, the entry point. 

Khullad chai and parathas, 

Welcomed us to the last leg, 

Language changed to chaste Hindi, 

Oh yes! My books were all read. 

After two long days, 

We reached our destination, 

Varanasi, the temple town

Seemed to have waited for our presence. 

Photo by JK on Unsplash