He took his seat on the foreign train

He thought it pleasant to travel again

Mindful of the journey's end

He read again the letter from his friend

Time passed as it often does

The seat was hard, the carriage fetid

He was dressed for summer, but still he sweated

It was better than being home

Feeling the cold, and living alone

Time passed slowly

Around him people spoke in French

Despite schooldays it made no sense

Occasional stares caught his eye

He was tempted to smile, but

Being shy, time passed

When he looked through the window

For the thousandth time

He saw a black horse fighting for its life

In a barbed wire fence

Fatally tangled

The more it struggled

The more it was strangled

Time sped up

He turned away

There was nothing he could do

The other window

Had a nicer view

Time passed painfully