Train Thoughts
Hello all. We continue to roll through Japan like two semi-spherical objects, wobbling across the landscape and collecting any small plastic toys that make the mistake of getting in our way. I know I need to write about our adventure on Mt. Fuji, but it’s difficult to take such a physical and visual experience and share it with you through flimsy little words. It’ll come eventually, but until then here are some thoughts I had while on the train this week.
I’m on the train struggling for something to write. I do most of my writing on the train; it takes about forty minutes to get to work, so if it’s not too crowded I try to write down whatever I’m thinking about at the moment. I’m not thinking about much of anything, just staring across from me at some office worker with a slightly worn, brown blazer. I realize I’m fixating on him, so I might as well start writing.
He’s sitting with his hands clasped and his head bowed. If this were America I might think he’s praying, but here I know he’s sleeping just like everyone else. His hair’s pure white, which strikes me as a little odd. Most men prefer to dye their hair the requisite black when it starts to go white (actually, some companies require their employees’ hair to be black). His face is heavily creased, careworn like his jacket, and his mouth is framed by thick, permanent frown lines. Whenever Holly and I see businessmen sleeping on the train we want to slowly guide their head onto our shoulder, stroke their hair, and whisper reassurances – it’s alright, don’t you worry, just relax. We worry that no one has told them these things in a while, if ever.
The subway comes to a stop and he leaves, but his seat gets snatched up pretty quickly by another, younger version, hair still black but with telltale silver streaks marking the progress of stress and age. He wears a more traditional black blazer, choosing to express himself through a purple tie. He rests his head in one hand, seemingly exhausted at one o’clock in the afternoon, swaying fluidly with the motion of the train. It’s possible that he hasn’t slept; a lot of my students tell me that a normal night’s sleep is around four hours. He gets off at the next stop but is replaced by another. This will continue for the whole forty minutes to work; generally the only thing really changing is the color of their tie. I lose interest.
Nearby there is a man, possibly college-aged, who is studying English flashcards. This proves to be more interesting. I decide to copy down his words as he studies them. Here is the complete list:
Scold, scream, alarm, protest, grasp, scorn, blame, wonder, mislead, embarrass, upset, amaze, seize, starve, scratch, warn, compel, pose, flow, forbid, evade, overlook, split, frustrate, rob, irritate, clap, berate, forgive, groan, knowledge, startle, insult, disguise, exploit, confess, plead, suppress, defeat, devour, cram, disturb, thrust, restrain, lament, scare, reproach, oppress, exclaim, swear, deprive.
I’m not sure what he’s studying for, but it sounds exciting.