It all began with a casual pick
by the man sitting opposite me
on the train home last night
at first hardly noticeable
it grew to be a performance
involving both nostrils
which was quite a sight

Some efforts were hard fought
and were flicked triumphantly
to a growing mound on the floor
while others more sizeable
were rolled into balls and
thrown high up into the air
before being lovingly placed
in a brown bread sandwich

All this wasn’t appreciated
by the other passengers
who were mostly aghast
but then their noses
began to twitch as well
and some surreptitiously
had a bit of a pick
and soon the whole carriage
was furiously picking away

And then the man’s head
started to shrink right
before there very eyes
and it soon began to
resemble a withered prune
so they all stopped picking
and felt a little bit silly
and went back to fiddling
with their new digital devices
or gazing out the train window

Glen Ewing