Pilgrimage
Two golden bursts, flashing along a pair of burning silver strips.
Like racing magnesium wireflames, weaving, crossing, criss-crossing. Join-rejoining. Curving towards me, then falling away.
Train tracks catching the low evening sun. Leeds to London; two-and-a-half hours of an eight-hour round trip.
When I asked for a return at King's Cross, the man who sold me the tickets had said "That's a very quick turnaround, Sir"
He was right. I came and ran away.
The curious shop on the left as the taxi came up the hilly high street.
And there you were, red and gold. A laptop on your, well, lap. As beautiful as I'd imagined. Moreso. As your words.
"There's a couple more rooms upstairs."
Your voice was sweeter, younger, northern and melting. I could hear your girls in it.
I chose something to mark the journey and left, fumbling your change. Ordered a cab from the pub down the road, pretty as a postcard.
Plenty of time to think on the train back. Dozing, lickering warmflick between the trees, two hours watching the sun set behind cirrus and contrails.
I'm sorry; a silly trick to play, exploiting the asymmetry in our shared little story.
A penny in a bunsen burner. A brakelight through fog. Then a glowing hearth. Finally, some great western city ablaze, just over the horizon. Red and gold.
But still, I don't know what to do.
Return. Stay longer. Decide.
Posted by: Angelalala | 12 May 2008 at 23:20
Two golden bursts, you, she. Go, stay. To the north.
Posted by: Lillipilli | 13 May 2008 at 00:31
you met Isabelle ?
Posted by: peach | 13 May 2008 at 04:51
I think you know what you want to do; you're just pondering whether it could be.
Posted by: TSP | 13 May 2008 at 21:32
Yes, I went to see Isabelle.
Posted by: oe | 15 May 2008 at 02:16
Lucky Isabelle. Unlucky Isabelle. Lucky OE. Unlucky OE.
Posted by: clarissa | 15 May 2008 at 08:18
I feel almost ashamedly caught up in the romance of it all.
Posted by: looby | 18 May 2008 at 00:44
Who's Isabelle? And how far back into your archives do I have to go to find out?
Posted by: C | 20 May 2008 at 19:26
C - Isabelle writes Letters to the Editor:
http://letterstoed.wordpress.com/
Posted by: oe | 21 May 2008 at 23:57
i love your writing style.
Posted by: lissa | 27 May 2008 at 17:38
well, at the very least, read the book.... x
Posted by: isabelle | 30 May 2008 at 17:24
Hello dearest blog-bro
Let us know how you are....
x
Posted by: pocketpunk | 07 June 2008 at 11:01