Hearts And Minds

A journey across Europe from London to Strasbourg.

If cats could tell stories
Of strange shapes in the dark
Down stairs, under covers
Of the fabric that they claw.

If they could pick out shadows,
Beyond fences lining traces
Of tracks, real people seeking
Shelter in chill Calais autumn.

The shadowy figures that swarm
Unidentified, through gares at night
Can you discern good travellers
And stealers of dreams?

In morning, tombstones of living wood
Backlit by nascent misty warmth,
A low sun spotlight searching the carriage
Crossing a land often contested.
To Strasbourg.