Journey

Friday evening. On the LRT to:
Plaza Rakyat. Buses underground . Breathing in CO2 and possible CO emissions.

Started late but moving now.
2 women chattering excitedly in the front seat.
An elderly man sits behind me, looking out the window,
In stark contrast with the youngish man in front, jabbering into his cellphone.

Buildings flash by. There's the National Museum, then the Lake Gardens.
I know this road. I've been down here before.
A few rows behind me, a father sits with his son.
Telling him to settle down, that it'll be a while before they arrive at their stop.
I smile and settle farther into my seat. Smiling because I know how the boy feels.
I'm going home.


I'm running late. Unfamiliar station signs flash past.
Though its not my first flight home by myself, I've been flying from Heathrow, not Manchester.
I grab a place in the queue. Realise that bottles filled with water are banned.
Get AAAs for my MP3 player. Get presents. Sorted.
I spot a family I saw during check-in. Going on a holiday, presumably.
Eating at a cafe. For them the journey is just beginning.
For me, I'm halfway home.

I find my seat between 2 people, both young and engrossed in their own thoughts.
The girl on my left nods off intermittently, refusing food and drink.
The guy on my right shifts in his seat, trying to get comfortable.
He asks for beer, I ask for Coke and get Pepsi instead. Both of us are content.
The Muslim gentleman in front strikes up a conversation with the British girl next to him.
Later, when we disembark, he hands her her bag.
'Have a safe journey and a merry Christmas.', he smiles before disappearing into the queue.
I'm smiling too. I'm going home.


A graduate teaching in a medical university.
A new doctor frazzled with responsibility.
A couple who've just taken their first steps together.
Another who are still getting to know each other.
A friend who is still searching for answers.
A sister who takes a step of faith.
We're all going home.

*taken from an idea for a song I had while in IMU.