Clapham Junction to Waterloo
A random piece of writing, written on the South-West Line from... well, you know.
***
Riding on the train
September, 11, 2005
Self-absorbed girl, riding on the train. Her eyes look inwards; when they glance aside it’s to check her reflection in the windowpane. Made-up and pretty, but the lack of a smile is a blemish—is she that inured to men looking back at her? Sitting across from her and excusing myself for forcing her to move her legs, she studiously avoids eye-contact. Were I female, would it have been different? Is she that removed from the flow of human contact around her? Or am I spinning a fiction about her drawn from my own frustrations?
Dressed as she is, on a Sunday night… where is she headed? Simple jeans and simple, slipper-like shoes, pink—casual; but her low-cut top and blazer suggest sexiness, an effort to dress-up, as does her careful makeup and the constant fiddling with her appearance. A hint of cleavage shows, eyes drawn there by the claw-like necklace she wears, the point leaning towards the curve of the right breast. Casual, but made-up… maybe a night in with a new boyfriend?
Drawing into the station I ask her, “Is this Waterloo?”
“Yes,” she answers, and her smile is pretty.
***
Had fun riding that above bit, in a quick little flurry while sitting across from that girl, still secretly pleased in a very geeky way at the liberty enjoyed by ownership of a laptop. I felt tempted to lean across the distance between us and let her know that she was the subject of my writing. Creepy, huh? Though I might give it as a writing assignment to my students: over the weekend, write a quick character sketch of someone you observe while on the bus, in a taxi, waiting for a ride, hanging around at the mall. Stalking as education!
Think I've finally found more a purpose for this blog. I haven't dedicated much time to any 'rea' writing--that novel I keep dreaming about--but I still manage lots of little bits here and there, beyond the usual drivel that I call my blog. So I'll start posting those little blurbs here. Artists have their sketchblogs, why shouldn't I do the same? Little fragments of characterization, descriptive passages, random scrawlings, things I like, and my exemplars of all the various works I ask my students to do, too....
So: more to come, soon!
***
Riding on the train
September, 11, 2005
Self-absorbed girl, riding on the train. Her eyes look inwards; when they glance aside it’s to check her reflection in the windowpane. Made-up and pretty, but the lack of a smile is a blemish—is she that inured to men looking back at her? Sitting across from her and excusing myself for forcing her to move her legs, she studiously avoids eye-contact. Were I female, would it have been different? Is she that removed from the flow of human contact around her? Or am I spinning a fiction about her drawn from my own frustrations?
Dressed as she is, on a Sunday night… where is she headed? Simple jeans and simple, slipper-like shoes, pink—casual; but her low-cut top and blazer suggest sexiness, an effort to dress-up, as does her careful makeup and the constant fiddling with her appearance. A hint of cleavage shows, eyes drawn there by the claw-like necklace she wears, the point leaning towards the curve of the right breast. Casual, but made-up… maybe a night in with a new boyfriend?
Drawing into the station I ask her, “Is this Waterloo?”
“Yes,” she answers, and her smile is pretty.
***
Had fun riding that above bit, in a quick little flurry while sitting across from that girl, still secretly pleased in a very geeky way at the liberty enjoyed by ownership of a laptop. I felt tempted to lean across the distance between us and let her know that she was the subject of my writing. Creepy, huh? Though I might give it as a writing assignment to my students: over the weekend, write a quick character sketch of someone you observe while on the bus, in a taxi, waiting for a ride, hanging around at the mall. Stalking as education!
Think I've finally found more a purpose for this blog. I haven't dedicated much time to any 'rea' writing--that novel I keep dreaming about--but I still manage lots of little bits here and there, beyond the usual drivel that I call my blog. So I'll start posting those little blurbs here. Artists have their sketchblogs, why shouldn't I do the same? Little fragments of characterization, descriptive passages, random scrawlings, things I like, and my exemplars of all the various works I ask my students to do, too....
So: more to come, soon!
posted by Emlyn | 2:46 PM
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