Night train

There’s a passage toward the past,
toward where I know we’re all headed,
and it grows like a ladder

thru my heart, and those visions
when I slept said, The other way
is death. In the dark, I can’t see myself

leaving you. Stars covet the rigid land,
your body, your short rabbit breaths
that pattern the air. Who was I

that saw you there, on the platform,
arm outstretched, waiting
for the last train home. When I turned

to the sight of you, alone.
When I turned and lost myself
to the blue. Who was I before I met you.

Jackson McCarthy

Jackson McCarthy is a poet and musician from Auckland currently studying in Wellington. He is of mixed Māori and Lebanese descent. He was a finalist for the Schools Poetry Award 2021, and was one of the Starling Micro-Residents at the New Zealand Young Writers Festival 2023. You can read more of his work here.