‘The Ghost in the Steel Cab’
‘The Ghost in the Steel Cab’ Dr Belavadi Prabhakar The city sleeps in padded berths, While starlight skims the rail, A thousand souls in dreaming depth, Behind a canvas veil. But at the head, in shadowed light, Where amber gauges glow, One pair of eyes dissects the night to give the dream its flow. No cheering crowd, no staged applause, Just rhythmic, heavy breath, A steady hand on iron claws Between life and death. Through monsoon’s wall and winter’s ghost, The signal’s lonely green— A vigil at a singular post, The pilot felt but was never seen. They do not know the hands That holds the throttle’s heavy weight, As mile by mile the track unfolds Against the whims of fate. The journey ends, the masses spill, They vanish through the gate, while silent, At his window still, He waits for morning's freight. A thankless turn, a quiet pride, In grease and steel enshrined, The on...